Manipulation of the tumour-associated vasculature to improve tumour therapy

Inhibition of tumour vascular growth, destruction of the tumour associated vasculature (TAV), and manipulation of the endothelial lining of the TAV provide powerful tools for anti-tumour therapy. We previously demonstrated that addition of TNF to chemotherapy improved tumour response. The major effect of TNF is an increased permeability of the tumour vascular bed resulting in augmented accumulation of co-administered drug in the tumour. As the TAV is recognised as a major candidate in tumour therapy it is becoming important to understand anti-vascular effects better. In our laboratory we examine the effect of immunotherapy on the TAV, and the effect of anti tumour-vascular therapy on tumours. This is studied in animal models, which exhibit similarities with the clinical setting, such as tumour perfusion treatment.