Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Spatial Measurements of Perfusion, Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Liposomes Accumulation in Solid Tumors
09:00

Spatial Measurements of Perfusion, Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Liposomes Accumulation in Solid Tumors

Published on: August 18, 2016

Drug penetration in solid tumors: influence of drug size and capillary architecture

Hooman Salavati1,2,3, Massimo Lai4, Cesar Pichardo-Almarza4

  • 1Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery
|June 30, 2026
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Particle size significantly impacts drug delivery to solid tumors. Smaller particles penetrate tumors more effectively, guiding better drug formulation for enhanced cancer treatment efficacy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Biophysics
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • Macromolecular and nanoparticulate drug carriers are crucial in oncology for targeted therapy and reduced toxicity.
  • Solid tumor drug delivery is often hindered by size-dependent transport barriers within the tumor microenvironment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a computational framework modeling drug carrier transport in solid tumors.
  • To investigate the influence of drug carrier size and tumor capillary characteristics on delivery efficiency.

Main Methods:

  • Coupled computational modeling of blood flow, transvascular exchange, interstitial fluid flow, and macromolecule transport.
  • Stochastic algorithm for generating realistic tumor microvascular networks with heterogeneous properties.

Main Results:

  • An inverse relationship between particle size and tumor penetration was observed.
  • Quantified the impact of pore radius and area fraction on drug extravasation and tissue dispersion.

Conclusions:

  • The developed framework serves as an in silico tool for optimizing drug formulation design.
  • Enables selection of optimal molecular formats and sizes for efficient tumor drug distribution based on biophysical constraints.
Keywords:
Cancercomputational modelingdrug penetrationfluid dynamicsmicrovasculatureparticle size

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