Vanderbilt and Stanford Researchers Develop Platform to Overcome Antibody Delivery Barriers in Solid Tumors
Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Stanford University have developed a single-cell spatial pharmacology (SSP) platform to address the challenges of delivering therapeutic antibodies to solid tumors. Published in Nature Biotechnology, the study highlights the difficulties faced by antibodies in penetrating the dense, heterogeneous architecture of human tumors. The SSP platform provides a high-resolution view of drug delivery, target engagement, and the physical barriers that affect therapeutic response. The research, led by Eben Rosenthal, MD, and Guolan Lu, PhD, focuses on understanding why antibody-based therapies often fail in cancer patients. The study found that stromal architecture, the dense noncancerous tissue surrounding tumors, acts as a physical barrier limiting antibody penetration. The platform allows researchers to examine drug distribution within tumors, interaction with cell types, and engagement with molecular targets, offering insights into the complexity of the tum... 
