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. 2024 Nov 15;22:715. doi: 10.1186/s12951-024-02901-x

Fig. 18.

Fig. 18

Passive and active tumour targeting. NPs achieve passive targeting by extravasating through the tumour’s permeable vasculature and poor lymphatic drainage (EPR effect). Active targeting is accomplished by functionalising NPs with ligands that bind specifically to target cells. Once targeted, NPs can (i) release their payload near target cells, (ii) adhere to the cell membrane as an extracellular sustained-release depot, or (iii) be internalised into the cell for direct drug delivery. Adapted with permission from Peer et al. [167]