The role of blood-brain barrier permeability in brain tumor imaging and therapeutics.
OBJECTIVE
Our purpose is to describe methods of assessing leakiness of the blood-brain barrier and explain mechanisms for exploiting the blood-brain barrier for therapeutic purposes.


CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge of the workings of the blood-brain barrier is important for an understanding of the ways in which blood-brain barrier permeability may be used as a surrogate marker for drug therapeutic response. Manipulation of the blood-brain barrier may provide a means for selectively targeting tumors for drug delivery.
Provenzale
James M
JM
Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Mukundan
Srinivasan
S
Dewhirst
Mark
M
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000502:physiology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D010539:Permeability
D003287:Contrast Media