Placental growth factor
PGFproteinPlacental growth factor drives angiogenesis and plaque inflammation; elevated levels independently predict ischemic events and plaque instability.
Pathway placement
Cascade stepPlaque inflammation
Confidencemedium
RationalePro-inflammatory growth factor; independent plaque-disruption marker; inverse MI association.
Also acts inEndothelial activation/erosion
Druggability
DruggableYes
Known drugs / candidates3
Small-molecule tractableYes
Antibody tractableYes
EnsemblENSG00000119630
Type I vs Type II discrimination
ScoresLow-confidence (proxy)
R — rupture / Type-I71
C — confounder / Type-II91
A — assay feasibility72
E — evidence strength34
T1DI (composite)10
Specificity differential (R−C)-20.3
Confounder panel (Type-II drivers)
No confounder evidence retrieved.
Tier: light (literature co-occurrence proxy — lower confidence). See the discrimination table for all markers.
Assay & specimen
Class-level default (no specific cleared assay)— generic method inferred from analyte class; confirm against a specific product insert before use.
Specimen
Serum or plasma
Collection tube
Serum separator (gold/red-top, SST) · K2/K3-EDTA (lavender-top)
Method / principle
Sandwich immunoassay (ELISA) — research-grade unless a cleared assay exists
Reagent / substrate
Matched anti-target antibody pair (capture + labeled detection)
Platform
ELISA microplate or multiplex (Luminex/MSD)
Turnaround · availability
Send-out / research · Research-grade (no universal clinical assay)
Literature evidence(5)
- Associations between inflammatory and angiogenic proteomic biomarkers, and cardiovascular events and mortality in relation to kidney function.Clinical kidney journal · 2024 · PMID 38524235 · doi
- Plasma proteome and incident myocardial infarction: sex-specific differences.European heart journal · 2024 · PMID 39397782 · doi
- Aldosterone increases early atherosclerosis and promotes plaque inflammation through a placental growth factor-dependent mechanism.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2013 · PMID 23525413 · doi
- Utility of placental growth factor for prediction of 30-day adverse event in emergency department population with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.Clinical laboratory · 2010 · PMID 20575469
- [Acute coronary syndrome and inflammation. Biomarkers for diagnostics and risk stratification].Herz · 2004 · PMID 15599673 · doi