Patent ID: 7078382

Claim:
A method of treating a nitric oxide (NO) associated disorder in a mammal, wherein the disorder is hypertension, thrombosis, angins, atherosclerosis, or heart failure, comprising administering to said mammal an effective amount of VEGF receptor agonist that exhibits selective binding affinity for a KDR receptor and induces NO production in the mammal, wherein the agonist comprises a VEGF variant having: a) one or more amino acid substitutions at or between residues F17 to Y15, wherein one or more of M18, Y21, O22, or Y25 is substituted; and b) one or more amino acid substitutions at or between residues D63 to E67; wherein the binding affinity of the agonist for FLT-1 receptor is reduced as compared to the binding affinity of native VEGF for FLT-1 receptor.