Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Harnessing the Power of MicroRNA Cargoes in Small Extracellular Vesicles Released from Fresh-Frozen Human Brain Sections
Published on: November 8, 2024
A paradigm shift for extracellular vesicles as small RNA carriers: from cellular waste elimination to therapeutic
Keitaro Hagiwara1, Takahiro Ochiya2, Nobuyoshi Kosaka2
1Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045 Japan ; Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8501 Japan.
Abstract:
RNA interference (RNAi) is an important avenue for target-specific gene silencing that is mainly performed by either small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) or microRNAs (miRNAs). This novel method is rapidly becoming a powerful tool for gene therapy. However, the rapid degradation of siRNAs and miRNAs and the limited duration of their action in vivo call for an efficient delivery technology. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the use of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as delivery systems. The use of EVs as small RNA carriers has multiple advantages over conventional delivery systems. In this review, we summarize recent findings regarding the potential application of EVs as small RNA delivery systems. Moreover, we focus on some of the obstacles to EV-based therapeutics.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Exosomes
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics
Human Virome

