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. 2013 Apr 15;73(8):2412-7.
doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-12-4561. Epub 2013 Feb 19.

Challenges and key considerations of the enhanced permeability and retention effect for nanomedicine drug delivery in oncology

Uma Prabhakar  1 , Hiroshi Maeda, Rakesh K Jain, Eva M Sevick-Muraca, William Zamboni, Omid C Farokhzad, Simon T Barry, Alberto Gabizon, Piotr Grodzinski, David C Blakey
Affiliations

Challenges and key considerations of the enhanced permeability and retention effect for nanomedicine drug delivery in oncology

Uma Prabhakar et al. Cancer Res. .

Abstract

Enhanced permeability of the tumor vasculature allows macromolecules to enter the tumor interstitial space, whereas the suppressed lymphatic filtration allows them to stay there. This phenomenon, enhanced permeability and retention (EPR), has been the basis of nanotechnology platforms to deliver drugs to tumors. However, progress in developing effective drugs using this approach has been hampered by heterogeneity of EPR effect in different tumors and limited experimental data from patients on effectiveness of this mechanism as related to enhanced drug accumulation. This report summarizes the workshop discussions on key issues of the EPR effect and major gaps that need to be addressed to effectively advance nanoparticle-based drug delivery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

D.C.B and S.T.B are both employees and share holders of AstraZeneca; R.K.J. received research grants from Dyax, MedImmune and Roche; consultant fees from Dyax, Enlight, Noxxon and SynDevRx; owns equity in Enlight, SynDevRx and XTuit, serves on the Board of Directors of XTuit and Board of Trustees of H&Q Healthcare Investors and H&Q Life Sciences Investors; WZ is inventor of the PhenoGLO-HTSPTM and PhenoGLO-ITTM technologies; AG receives research support from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and serves in the Board of Directors of Liposome Pharmaceuticals and, O.C.F. is a scientific founder and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board and Board of Directors of BIND Biosciences, Selecta Biosciences and Blend Therapeutics.

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