endocytosis Archives - Sanford Burnham Prebys
Institute News

Unique pathway that homes cancer drugs to tumors is like no other

Authorsgammon
Date

October 3, 2014

In a new study published in Nature CommunicationsErkki Ruoslahti, MD, Ph.D., and his research team, with Hongbo Pang, PhD, as the lead author, identify the unique pathway that enhances the delivery of anti-cancer drugs to tumors. The pathway, called CendR, is a previously unknown variation of endocytosis—the process by which cells engulf nutrients and extracellular molecules. When activated, the CendR system improves the therapeutic efficacy of existing anti-cancer drugs while minimizing the collateral damage of normal cells and tissue. The findings advance our understanding of the biology of the cell by establishing a new type of trans-tissue transport pathway. Continue reading “Unique pathway that homes cancer drugs to tumors is like no other”