Self-Regulated and Co-ordinated Smart Tumor Homing for Complex Vascular Networks

Inspired by the collaborative movements of the living cells in different natural biological processes, this paper highlights a self-regulated and co-ordinated targeting strategy to detect tumor in complex human vasculature. We show by computational experiments that simple and non-centralized nanoparticles with limited locomotive capability, when they collaborate and move in the form of groups, can be very robust in the tumor homing process. Once reaching tumor location, such nanoparticles (potential contrast agents) can deposit themselves on tumor through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect thereby making the malignant cancerous area more prominent. Hence, existing medical imaging techniques with limited resolution can be used to detect small malignant tumors. We believe that our work will help in early cancer detection through an independent, non-centralized and self-controlled system.