Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for both men and women in the USA, with 5 year survival rate less than 15%. Significant toxic side effects and lack of specificity are two major limitations for effective cancer treatment. In recent years, integrated nanoplatforms with cancer targeting, imaging and therapeutic functions are emerging to potentially revolutionize cancer diagnosis and therapy. These multifunctional nanoparticles can pinpoint and visualize the tumor location, kill the cancer cells and monitor the therapeutic response. Here we report a theranostic polymeric micelle system loaded with MRI contrast agents and anticancer drugs (Fig. 1A). The surface of micelles was functionalized with lung cancer targeting peptide (LCP, H2009.1 with the sequence of RGDLATLRQL). This peptide specifically binds to the ?v?? integrin expressed in many human non-small cell lung carcinomas compared to normal lung tissue. We hypothesize that LCP-encoded polymer micelles will promote the tumor-specific delivery of imaging probes and therapeutic agents in lung cancer treatment.
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