Vascular-homing peptides for targeted drug delivery and molecular imaging: meeting the clinical challenges

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Molecular Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Organ vasculature exhibits distinct molecular signatures that change with disease.
• In vivo phage display is a powerful tool for mapping vascular beds in normal, diseased, and tumor states.
• Targeted therapies and bioimaging tools for cancer and cardiovascular diseases are critical unmet needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advances in identifying novel peptide ligands and their receptors on tumor endothelium using in vivo phage display.
• To emphasize recent clinical findings on vascular-homing peptides for advanced malignancies.

Main Methods:

• In vivo phage display technology for high-throughput mapping of vasculature.
• Evaluation of tumor vasculature-homing peptides in preclinical and clinical studies.
• Analysis of data from Phase I and II clinical trials.

Main Results:

• In vivo phage display has successfully unveiled the heterogeneous profiles of vascular beds.
• Tumor vasculature-homing peptides have been extensively evaluated for targeted therapy and diagnosis.
• Several clinical trials have reported results, with many ongoing or recruiting.

Conclusions:

• In vivo phage display is instrumental in discovering vascular-homing peptides.
• These peptides hold significant potential for targeted cancer therapy and diagnostics.
• Clinical application for advanced malignancies is a rapidly advancing area.