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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 May 11;17(8):487–505. doi: 10.1038/s41575-020-0300-1

Fig. 3 |. Vascular normalization as a therapeutic strategy in pDaC.

Fig. 3 |

The pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumour microenvironment features an inefficient, leaky vasculature with poor pericyte coverage, which is associated with poor tumour perfusion leading to hypoxia and suboptimal drug delivery. Tumour vasculature normalization by blocking the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)–VEGFR2 axis106 can improve pericyte coverage and tumour perfusion, leading to decreased hypoxia, increased drug delivery and CD8+ T cell trafficking into the tumour through the action of the leukocyte adhesion molecules ICAM and VCAM.