HGF monoclonal antibody

The Hepatocyte Growth Factor was initially discovered as a mitogenic cytokine that induced hepatocyte replication and proliferation . HGF is produced by stromal cells where it is processed by extracellular serine proteases into a heterodimer consisting of alpha and beta subunits .Through activation of its receptor, cMET, HGF has a wide range of effects beyond hepatocytes that includes angiogenesis, epithelial cell proliferation and morphogenesis, and tissue protection and regeneration . The HGF-cMET axis has been associated with several diseases, including cancer, where HGF has been shown to promote invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance . These research studies suggest that HGF is a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target.