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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

In Vivo Immunogenicity Screening of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles by Flow Cytometry of Splenic T Cells
Published on: September 23, 2021
Intercellular Transfer of Cancer Drug Resistance Traits by Extracellular Vesicles
Diana Sousa1, Raquel T Lima2, M Helena Vasconcelos1
1i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Cancer Drug Resistance Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, IPATIMUP, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
Abstract:
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized particles (100-1000 nm) enclosed by a phospholipid bilayer that have been described as important mediators of intercellular communication. The role of EVs in oncobiology has been extensively studied, including their contribution to the horizontal transfer of drug resistance from drug-resistant to drug-sensitive cancer cells. This review focuses on the EVs cargo responsible for this intercellular transfer of drug resistance; namely, drug-efflux pumps, miRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and other mediators. Additionally, the known molecular mechanisms and features of this transfer are discussed. This is an emerging area of research and we highlight topics that need to be further studied to fully understand and counteract the intercellular transfer of drug resistance mediated by EVs.
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