The blood supply to solid tumors is leaky, with improperly formed blood vessels and abnormal blood flow. The unique properties of the tumor vasculature may enable specific drug targeting. Sounni, Dehne and colleagues demonstrate a novel pathway, involving the matrix metalloproteinase MMP14 and the TGFβ signaling cascade, whose inhibition improves the ability of tumors to soak up high molecular weight compounds. This may be an important step forward in enhancing the delivery of both molecular contrast agents for imaging and tumoricidal drugs.
