Open AccessTargeting Tumors with Small Molecule Peptides
Author(s) -
Andrew G. Cheetham,
Daniel Keith,
Pengcheng Zhang,
Ran Lin,
Hao Su,
Honggang Cui
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
current cancer drug targets
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.972
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1873-5576
pISSN - 1568-0096
DOI - 10.2174/1568009616666151130214646
Subject(s) - peptide , cancer research , small molecule , drug development , computational biology , drug , chemotherapeutic drugs , medicine , chemistry , biology , cancer , pharmacology , biochemistry
Chemotherapeutic treatment of cancers is a challenging endeavor, hindered by poor selectivity towards tumorous tissues over healthy ones. Preferentially delivering a given drug to tumor sites necessitates the use of targeting elements, of which there are a wide range in development. In this Review, we highlight recent examples of peptide-based targeting ligands that have been exploited to selectively deliver a chemotherapeutic payload to specific tumor-associated sites such as the vasculature, lymphatics, or cell surface. The advantages and limitations of such approaches will be discussed with a view to potential future development. Additionally, we will also examine how peptide-based ligands can be used diagnostically in the detection and characterization of cancers through their incorporation into imaging agents.