In addition, the observation that activation of the FGFR-STAT3 pathway can induce a hyaluronan-rich microenvironment that can affect tumor growth [32] led us to test the hypothesis that in addition to VEGF, FGF-2 and hyaluronan also have critical roles in the increased neovascularization induced by mutant TIMP3 in Sorsby’s fundus dystrophy. Here, TIMP3 is linked to Sorsby's fundus dystrophy.