Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A; formerly VEGF) belongs to the VEGF/PDGF family of growth factors that play a critical role in promoting vascular development. VEGF-A is primarily known for its function in promoting angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels are sprouted from pre-existing blood vessels. VEGF-A has eight isoforms, derived from differentially spliced mRNA variants encoded by the VEGF-A gene. All isoforms contain a conserved receptor binding domain, but differ in their C-terminal domains that regulate binding to components in the extracellular matrix.