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Overview of Exosomes

Overview of Exosomes

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.
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...

Tumor Immunotherapy

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.

The Tumor Microenvironment

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...

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The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Preparation of Exosomes for siRNA Delivery to Cancer Cells

Preparation of Exosomes for siRNA Delivery to Cancer Cells

Published on: December 5, 2018

Exosomes as Carriers for Antitumor Therapy.

Yanyan Li¹, Yongtai Zhang¹, Zhe Li¹

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.

ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering

|January 18, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Exosomes, nanoscale vesicles, show promise for targeted drug delivery, especially in cancer research. Optimizing their preparation and loading methods is key to advancing their clinical application as drug carriers.

Keywords:

biomimetic nanocarriers nanomedicine tumor targeting

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Isolation and Characterization of RNA-Containing Exosomes

Isolation and Characterization of RNA-Containing Exosomes

Published on: January 9, 2012

Area of Science:

Biotechnology
Nanomedicine
Oncology

Background:

Exosomes are nanoscale vesicles (50-150 nm) with a bilayer membrane structure facilitating cell-to-cell communication.
Their biocompatibility and targeting capabilities make them attractive for drug delivery systems.
Current research explores exosomes as carriers for enhanced drug delivery to specific sites.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the preparation methods of exosomes for use as drug carriers.
To summarize the utilization of exosome-based drug delivery systems in antitumor research.
To identify areas for improvement in exosome-based therapies for clinical application.

Main Methods:

Literature review of exosome preparation techniques.
Analysis of studies evaluating exosome drug loading strategies.
Synthesis of data on in vivo and in vitro antitumor efficacy of exosomal drug delivery.

Main Results:

Exosomes demonstrate good absorbability and targeting to lesion sites.
Various methods exist for loading therapeutic agents into exosomes.
Exosomal vectors have shown significant antitumor efficacy in preclinical evaluations.

Conclusions:

Exosomes are promising biocompatible carriers for targeted drug delivery.
Optimization of exosome sourcing and drug-loading techniques is crucial for clinical translation.
Further advancements are needed to facilitate the widespread clinical use of exosome-based drug delivery systems in oncology.