An address system in the vasculature of normal tissues and tumors

The vasculature of individual tissues is highly specialized. The endothelium in lymphoid tissues expresses tissue-specific receptors for lymphocyte homing, and recent work utilizing phage homing has revealed an unprecedented degree of specialization in the vasculature of other normal tissues. In vivo screening of libraries of phage that displace random peptide sequences on their surfaces has yielded specific homing peptides for a large number of normal tissues. The tissue-specific endothelial molecules to which the phage peptides home may serve as receptors for metastasizing malignant cells. Probing of tumor vasculature has yielded peptides that home to endothelial receptors expressed selectively in angiogenic neovasculature. These receptors, and those specific for the vasculature of individual normal tissues, are likely to be useful in targeting therapies to specific sites.