The effects of low-dose/high frequency or sustained drug delivery on vascular function in the tumour are of interest to develop sequential dosing therapies. In these projects, liposomal irinotecan and metronomic gemcitabine were shown to transiently improve vascular function and decrease hypoxia leading to a window of therapeutic opportunity with a second drug or radiation therapy. We also showed that functional imaging could be used to identify these opportunities. The results have potential implications for smart dosing therapies in the clinic where two treatment modalities could be combined on the basis of the physiological status of the tumour.

Back to top