Normalizing Tumor Vessels To Improve Cancer Therapy

Leaky, twisted blood vessels in tumors often prevent chemotherapy drugs from reaching their target. Children's Hospital Boston researchers have found that tumor capillary cells, unlike their normal counterparts, are hyper-contractile and respond abnormally to physical and mechanical cues, producing irregularly-shaped capillaries and creating gaps between cells that caused vessel leakiness. A protein called Rho-associated kinase is the likely culprit; inhibiting its function normalized the tumor cells' mechanical responsiveness, as well as blood vessel architecture.

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