Aug 2026· Experimental Cell Research· Vol 462, pp.
115159
· 0 citations· 149 references
Medicine
TL;DR
The goal of this review is to outline a realistic pathway featuring proof-of-concept research, through discoveries to the creation of manufacturable, safe, and effective exosome/CRISPR therapeutics that can trigger durable therapeutic responses in resistant malignancies.
Abstract
Engineered exosomes are emerging as biocompatible nanocarriers for delivering CRISPR/Cas components to resistant tumor cells, enabling targeted disruption of oncogenic drivers and resistance-associated pathways. Engineered exosomes offer several delivery-platform advantages, including biocompatibility, membrane-mediated cargo protection, programmable tumor targeting, and potential tissue penetration. Selection of the CRISPR modality, Cas9 ribonucleoprotein, mRNA, base editor, or prime editor, depends on payload size, stability, editing duration, endosomal escape, and nuclear delivery requirements. Therapeutically, these systems may disrupt oncogenic drivers, inhibit resistance pathways, restore tumor-suppressor activity, and re-sensitize tumors to targeted therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. Clinical translation will require scalable manufacturing, reproducible cargo loading, standardized characterization, validated potency assays, off-target control, and clearly defined regulatory pathways. The goal of this review is to outline a realistic pathway featuring proof-of-concept research, through discoveries to the creation of manufacturable, safe, and effective exosome/CRISPR therapeutics that can trigger durable therapeutic responses in resistant malignancies.
Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) combined with CRISPR-Cas9 hold substantial therapeutic potential for immune-mediated diseases, although significant technical obstacles remain. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of strategies for engineering MSC-Exos as delivery vehicles for CRISPR-Cas9, with emphasis on cargo-loading methodologies and surface modifications that enable targeting specific immune cell populations. We examine the mechanistic basis for the therapeutic effects of these engineered platforms and critically assess the challenges impeding clinical translation, including manufacturing scalability, safety concerns, and regulatory considerations. Key areas of focus for this Research Topic—vehicle engineering, cargo packaging efficiency, biological barriers, and in vivo safety—are systematically addressed. Finally, we discuss emerging directions, including next-generation gene editors and stimulus-responsive biomaterials. This review provides a balanced framework for advancing MSC-Exos-based nanoplatforms toward precision gene therapies for immune disorders.
Dandan Guo, Wei Zhang, Wenbo Dou et al.· Frontiers in Bioengineering...· 0 citations
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) sustain tumor initiation, therapy resistance, and relapse, yet evade durable control because they switch phenotype, enter quiescence, shelter within protective niches, resist drug efflux, and share markers with normal stem cells. Programmable CRISPR editing can disable intracellular self-renewal dependencies that antibodies and small molecules cannot reach, whereas only nanoscale carriers can confine such editing to intended cells; neither component alone solves the CSC problem. This review reframes CSC-directed CRISPR nanomedicine as an integrated design problem. We examine why target plasticity defeats static single-marker targeting; the sequential delivery checkpoints spanning blood stability, organ selection, tumor penetration, CSC recognition, endosomal escape, and productive editing; and advanced architectures including organ-selective lipid nanoparticles, biomimetic and vesicle carriers, metal-organic frameworks, and logic-gated systems. Genotoxicity, immunogenicity, incomplete depletion, manufacturing reproducibility, and absent CSC-specific clinical evidence remain limiting. Clinical viability, not imminent cure, is the realistic near-term objective.
This review summarises the current strategies of nanoparticle-mediated CRISPR-Cas9 delivery, including lipid, polymeric, hybrid, inorganic, and biomimetic nanoparticles.
Shouvik Mondal, Kriti Kumari· Advanced International Journ...· 0 citations
The findings support the therapeutic potential of exosome-based platforms while also highlighting major challenges, including inconsistencies in isolation protocols, limited cargo- loading capacity, targeting specificity, and in vivo stability.
Shatrudhan Prajapati, Shikha Yadav· Current Neurovascular Resear...· 0 citations
Exosome mimetic nanocarriers have risen as a progressive biomimetic approach for intracellular drug delivery, exploiting the unique properties of natural exosomes to enhance therapeutic precision and efficacy. These synthetic vesicles imitate the structural, biochemical, and functional characteristics of natural exosomes, including lipid bilayer composition, surface proteins, and molecular cargo, offering superior biocompatibility, immune evasion, and targeted delivery capabilities. Unlike traditional nanocarriers, exosome mimetics exploit receptor-mediated endocytosis and natural cellular communication pathways to facilitate efficient intracellular transport and controlled release of therapeutic payloads such as chemotherapeutic agents, nucleic acids(siRNA, miRNA, mRNA) and proteins. Engineering strategies combine advanced liposome technologies with exosomal components to overcome challenges of yield, scalability, and immunogenicity, enabling customizable and reproducible drug carriers. This chapter comprehensively reviews the design principles, fabrication methods, and functionalization techniques of exosome-mimetic nanocarriers, emphasizing their advantages in precision oncology. Mechanistic insights into cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and tumor targeting are comprehensive alongside preclinical studies demonstrating enhanced antitumor efficacy and safety profiles. Furthermore, the chapter discusses translational hurdles, including standardization, large-scale production, and regulatory considerations. Integration with emerging artificial intelligence tools and multiomics theranostics presents future opportunities for optimizing nanocarrier design, patient stratification, and treatment monitoring. Overall, exosome-mimetic nanocarriers represent a transformative strategy in nanomedicine, poised to revolutionize intracellular drug delivery and enable precision personalized therapy in breast cancer and beyond.
Keywords: Exosome, breast cancer, exosome-biomimetic nanocarriers, intracellular drug delivery, cargo loading, targeted therapy.
T. Shah· Journal of Drug Delivery and...· 0 citations
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