Patent ID: 6887674

Claim:
A method for identifying an agent that inhibits an interaction of EphrinB2 and EphB4, comprising: (a) combining: (1) an EphrinB2 protein or at least a portion thereof sufficient to interact with an EphB4 protein, (2) the an EphB4 protein or at least a portion thereof sufficient to interact with said EphrinB2 protein, and (3) an agent, under conditions appropriate for interaction between said EphrinB2 and EphB4 proteins in the absence of said agent; (b) determining the extent to which said EphrinB2 and EphB4 proteins interact; (c) comparing the extent of interaction determined in (b) with the extent to which interaction of said EphrinB2 and EphB4 proteins occurs in the absence of the agent; wherein if the extent of the interaction of said EphrinB2 and EphB4 proteins is less in the presence of the agent than in the absence of the agent, the agent is one which inhibits interaction of EphrinB2 and EphB4; and (d) for an agent that inhibits said interaction, further assessing the ability of said agent to interfere with blood vessel formation.