A characteristic feature of chronic inflammatory reactions is their persistence and
predilection for certain sites. The molecular basis for such tissue tropism (as, for example,
seen with metastatic spread) has until recently remained obscure, but recent studies have
strongly implicated tissue-resident, stromal cells, such as macrophages, endothelial cells
and fibroblasts. These cell types make attractive therapeutic targets as they help define the
three-dimensional structure of tissues and are key orchestrators of the inflammatory infiltrate …