Tumor Targeting by α_vβ₃-Integrin-Specific Lipid Nanoparticles Occurs <i>via</i> Phagocyte Hitchhiking

Abstract

-integrin-targeted cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartate decorated liposomes and oil-in-water nanoemulsions in tumor mouse models. We observed that ligand-mediated accumulation in cancerous lesions is multifaceted and identified "NP hitchhiking" with phagocytes to contribute considerably to this intricate process. We anticipate that this understanding can facilitate rational improvement of nanomedicine applications and that immune cell-NP interactions can be harnessed to develop clinically viable nanomedicine-based immunotherapies.