This review summarizes current knowledge of exosome biogenesis, molecular composition, and mechanisms of action, alongside commonly used isolation and characterization strategies, and discusses both natural and engineered exosomes, highlighting advances in surface modification, hybrid vesicle construction, and selective cargo loading.
This narrative review integrates current knowledge of exosome biology, diagnostic and therapeutic applications, and engineering strategies and outlines future priorities for advancing exosome-based technologies toward precision medicine.
Chin‐Yin Lin, Chih-Yang Lin, W. Shyu et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
Exosomes are nanoscale, membrane-bound vesicles secreted by various cell types. Owing to their cargo of parental cel-derived cellular components, exosomes show significant promise as clinical biomarkers. Meanwhile, due to their diverse origins and cargo, exosomes play a dual role in cancer, possessing the capacity to both promote and suppress tumor progression The efficient and rapid isolation and purification of exosomes are foundational for advancing their clinical applications. Additionally, a comprehensive understanding of exosome biogenesis is essential to elucidate their underlying biological functions. However, current knowledge regarding their biological characteristics and functions of action remains limited. This review delves into exosome isolation techniques, the regulatory mechanisms underlying their biogenesis and secretion, and their dual roles in cancer progression, metastasis, and tumor immunity, concluding with a discussion of the challenges and future directions in their clinical translation.
Ying-Ying Li, Ya Gao, Yanhong Wang et al.· Frontiers in Cell and Develo...· 0 citations
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoscale membrane-bound structures that play a pivotal role in intercellular communication by transporting bioactive molecules, including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and organelles, between cells. Originating from the endosomal pathway, EVs reflect the physiological and pathological status of their parent cells and participate in a broad range of biological processes, such as immune regulation, tissue regeneration, and disease progression. This review provides a comprehensive overview of EVs' biology, covering their biogenesis, biochemical composition, isolation strategies, and characterization methodologies. Recent advances in quantitative, qualitative, and single-vesicle analytical techniques are discussed, highlighting both their advantages and technical limitations. Emphasis is placed on the functional roles of EVs in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, intestinal fibrosis, and neural repair, with a focus on their contributions to disease pathogenesis, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic resistance. Furthermore, emerging strategies employing both natural and engineered EVs as therapeutic delivery platforms are examined. Special attention is given to EVs-integrated hydrogel systems designed to improve bioavailability, enhance retention at target sites, and enable controlled therapeutic release. Despite their considerable therapeutic potential, several challenges remain, including the need for standardized isolation protocols, scalable production, management of vesicle heterogeneity, and successful clinical translation. Overall, this review highlights the multifaceted biological significance of EVs and underscores their increasing potential as diagnostic biomarkers and next-generation therapeutic platforms across a wide range of disease conditions.
E. İ. Torunoğlu, Zeynep Betul Sarı, Muhammed Emin Sarı et al.· Biotechnology and Bioenginee...· 0 citations
Exosomes, enriched with cancer-specific nucleic acids and proteins, have emerged as key intercellular communicators for orchestrating a tripartite axis of the tumor microenvironment (TME). They contribute significantly to tumor progression, particularly through their involvement in drug resistance, immune suppression, and metastasis. Recently, extensive research has mapped isolated functions to integrated perspective on how exosomal cargo mediates the complex crosstalk between these three important avenues of tumor survival. This begins by outlining the fundamental mechanisms of exosome biogenesis, cargo sorting and release that are frequently hijacked by cancer cells. This review then examines the exosome-mediated transfer of drug efflux pumps, non-coding RNAs, and metabolic enzymes from drug-resistant tumor cells to drug-sensitive cells. Subsequently, this review explore how tumor derived exosomes influence the premetastatic niche to support angiogenesis, including the horizontal transfer of key cytokines and growth factors. Additionally, this review details the role of tumor derived exosomes in shaping an immunosuppressive TME, especially their capacity to modulate T-cell function, polarize myeloid cells, and influence immune checkpoint signalling. Finally , we discuss emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at intercepting or reprogramming exosomal cargo to potentially prevent metastasis, sensitize tumor to therapeutics , and counteract immune evasion. By shifting the focus from isolated mechanisms to the interconnected roles of exosomes, this review aims to inform the rational design of next-generation exosome targeted and exosome based cancer therapeutics.
RamaRao Malla, G. P. Nagaraju· Biochemical Pharmacology· 0 citations
Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles (30–150 nm) secreted by most cell types, carrying proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids that mediate intercellular communication. Their natural biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, ability to cross biological barriers, and intrinsic targeting properties have attracted intense interest for therapeutic and drug delivery applications. Exosomes can be loaded with small molecules, proteins, or nucleic acids and engineered to display targeting ligands, enabling precise delivery to specific tissues or cells. This review critically examines the current state of exosome-based therapeutics, focusing on isolation methods, engineering strategies, and clinical translation through early 2024. Isolation techniques include ultracentrifugation, size-exclusion chromatography, and microfluidic approaches, each with trade-offs in purity, yield, and scalability. Engineering strategies encompass cargo loading via electroporation, sonication, or co-incubation, and surface modification using chemical conjugation or genetic fusion. Preclinical studies have demonstrated therapeutic potential in oncology, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and regenerative medicine. Several clinical trials are evaluating exosomes, including mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes for COVID-19 and graft-versus-host disease, and plant-derived exosomes for drug delivery. Challenges include heterogeneity, scalable manufacturing, batch-to-batch reproducibility, regulatory classification, and biodistribution. Future directions include standardized isolation and characterization, improved cargo loading efficiency, and development of allogeneic off-the-shelf products. Exosome-based therapeutics hold promise, but rigorous quality control and clinical evidence are required.
Unknown authors· Global Journal of Research i...· 0 citations
INTRODUCTION
Exosomes, extracellular vesicles of 30-150 nm generated via fusion of multivesicular bodies with the plasma membrane, have evolved from poorly characterized cellular byproducts into a promising platform for translational medicine. Their intrinsic biological properties, including low immunogenicity, biocompatibility, capacity to cross the blood-brain barrier, and natural tissue tropism, confer fundamental advantages over synthetic nanocarriers.
METHODS
This review systematically covers biogenesis (ESCRT-dependent and ceramide-mediated pathways), molecular cargo composition, cellular sources and GMP-- compliant manufacturing, pharmacokinetics and biodistribution, clinical experience across major disease areas, engineering strategies for cargo loading and surface modification, and the current regulatory landscape.
RESULTS
Exosome biogenesis is orchestrated by ESCRT-0-III complexes and the neutral sphingomyelinase pathway, yielding vesicles enriched in tetraspanins (CD63, CD9, CD81), heat-shock proteins, and functional nucleic acids including miRNA and circRNA. Mesenchymal stromal cell-derived exosomes dominate clinical pipelines, with scalable 3D hollow-fiber bioreactor production enabling GMP-grade manufacturing. Circulating half-lives vary markedly by source: most cell line-derived exosomes are cleared within 2-30 minutes, whereas platelet-derived EVs persist in circulation for 5.3-5.8 hours. These values are substantially prolonged by CD47-mediated phagocytosis evasion and PEGylation. Engineering approaches, LAMP-2B-mediated genetic display of targeting ligands, click chemistry conjugation, and hybrid Exosome-Liposome Nanoparticles (HELN)markedly enhance tissue selectivity and therapeutic potency. Completed Phase I-IIb trials in oncology and pulmonology demonstrate favourable safety profiles without severe systemic adverse events. As of 2025-2026, no extracellular vesicle therapeutic has received regulatory approval by the FDA, EMA, or equivalent agencies.
DISCUSSION
Engineered exosomes combine multicomponent cargo, context-dependent uptake, and tissue tropism in a single platform. Validated potency assays, batch consistency, and regulatory harmonisation remain the principal unresolved barriers to clinical approval.
CONCLUSION
Convergence of AI-driven manufacturing optimisation, multimodal engineering platforms, and international regulatory harmonisation defines the translational roadmap for exosome-based medicines over the coming decade.
M. Shkurnikov, Alexander Tonevitsky· Current Medicinal Chemistry· 0 citations
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