Abstract
Research into the mechanisms and manifestations of solid tumor vascularization was launched more than 50 years ago with the proposition and experimental demonstrations that angiogenesis is instrumental for tumor growth and was, therefore, a promising therapeutic target. The biological knowledge and therapeutic insights forthcoming have been remarkable, punctuated by new concepts, many of which were not foreseen in the early decades. This article presents a perspective on tumor vascularization and its therapeutic targeting but does not portray a historical timeline. Rather, we highlight eight conceptual milestones, integrating initial discoveries and recent progress and posing open questions for the future.
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Acknowledgements
We note and regret that many pertinent studies were not cited owing to the limited number of references allowed for this article format. We thank K. Ouchen for redrawing our vignettes. M.D.P. acknowledges grant support from the European Research Council (ERC CoG EVOLVE-725051), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF 310030-188868), the Swiss Cancer League (KLS-4505-08-2018) and Carigest SA. D.H. acknowledges grant support from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
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None of the research results reviewed and discussed herein reflect bona fide competing interests. In the interest of full disclosure, M.D.P. has received sponsored research grants from Hoffmann La-Roche, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, MedImmune and EVIR Therapeutics, in part to investigate angiogenesis inhibitors and immunotherapy combinations; serves on the scientific advisory boards of EVIR Therapeutics, Montis Biosciences, Macomics, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Light Chain Bioscience/Novimmune and Genenta; and is an inventor on patents on engineered immune cells filed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). D.H. has received sponsored research grants from Hoffmann La-Roche and Bristol Myers Squibb; serves on the scientific advisory boards of Pfizer Oncology, Opna Bio, 4D Molecular Therapeutics and Cellestia; and is a founder of Opna Bio, which has licensed an EPFL patent describing the RNA-binding protein FMRP as a new cancer target.
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De Palma, M., Hanahan, D. Milestones in tumor vascularization and its therapeutic targeting. Nat Cancer 5, 827–843 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-024-00780-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-024-00780-7
