Synergistic targeting of α _vβ ₃ integrin and galectin-1 with heteromultivalent paramagnetic liposomes for combined MR imaging and treatment of angiogenesis

Effective and specific targeting of nanoparticles is of paramount importance in the fields of targeted therapeutics and diagnostics. In the current study, we investigated the targeting efficacy of nanoparticles that were functionalized with two angiogenesis-specific targeting ligands, an α _vβ ₃ integrin-specific and a galectin-1-specific peptide. We show in vitro, using optical techniques and MRI, that the dual-targeting approach produces synergistic targeting effects, causing a dramatically elevated uptake of nanoparticles as compared to single ligand targeting.