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Overview of Exosomes

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Exosomes are stable, lipid bilayer-enclosed vesicles capable of crossing biological barriers. They can carry a wide range of molecules required for intercellular communication. Once exosomes are released from the cell where they originated, they enter a recipient cell through various pathways such as fusion, receptor-mediated endocytosis, macropinocytosis, and phagocytosis.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Preparation of Exosomes for siRNA Delivery to Cancer Cells

Preparation of Exosomes for siRNA Delivery to Cancer Cells

Published on: December 5, 2018

[Exosomes and cancer].

Jeroen de Vrij¹, S L Niek Maas, Joost P Hegmans

¹Erasmus Medisch Centrum, Afd. Neurochirurgie, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde

|December 28, 2011

Summary

Exosomes, tiny vesicles from cells, can promote tumor growth or fight cancer. Studying their contents may aid diagnosis and lead to new exosome-based cancer therapies.

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Oncology
Immunology

Context:

Exosomes are vesicles released by both healthy and neoplastic cells.
Tumor-derived exosomes play a role in tumor progression via RNA and protein transfer.
Immune cell-derived exosomes exhibit anti-tumor properties.

Purpose:

To explore the multifaceted roles of exosomes in cancer.
To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of tumor exosome profiling.
To review exosome-based anti-cancer therapeutic strategies.

Summary:

Exosomes mediate tumor progression by transferring oncogenic molecules, stimulating angiogenesis, and suppressing immune responses.
Conversely, exosomes from healthy immune cells possess anti-tumor characteristics.

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Using Nanoplasmon-Enhanced Scattering and Low-Magnification Microscope Imaging to Quantify Tumor-Derived Exosomes

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Preparation of Exosomes for siRNA Delivery to Cancer Cells

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Using Nanoplasmon-Enhanced Scattering and Low-Magnification Microscope Imaging to Quantify Tumor-Derived Exosomes

Using Nanoplasmon-Enhanced Scattering and Low-Magnification Microscope Imaging to Quantify Tumor-Derived Exosomes

Published on: May 24, 2019

Profiling exosome content, particularly in brain tumors, may offer diagnostic and prognostic insights.

Impact:

Exosome characterization holds potential for cancer diagnostics and prognostics.
Exosome-based therapies, including blocking tumor exosome formation or targeted drug delivery, are under development.
Dendritic cell-derived exosomes are being explored for cancer vaccination, with early safety demonstrated in Phase I trials.