Nanoparticles modified with vasculature-homing peptides for targeted cancer therapy and angiogenesis imaging.

The two major challenges in cancer treatment include lack of early detection and ineffective therapies with various side effects. Angiogenesis is the key process in the growth, survival, invasiveness, and metastasis of many of cancerous tumors. Imaging of the angiogenesis could lead to diagnosis of tumors in the early stage and evaluation of the therapeutic responses.