Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 14, 2025

An Enrichment Method for Small Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Liver Cancer Tissue
Published on: February 3, 2023
Exosomes in cancer
Juliana Müller Bark1, Arutha Kulasinghe1, José Miguel Amenábar2
1Saliva and Liquid Biopsy Translational Research Team, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia; Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia.
Abstract:
Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles released by cells under physiological and pathological conditions. There is emerging evidence associating exosomes with tumorigenesis. They carry cargo (DNA, RNA, miRNA and protein) pertaining to the cell of origin and play a key role in intercellular communication, influencing several cellular processes. Moreover, exosomes can be shed and found in almost all body fluids, providing a source of biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and prognosis. In addition, the use of exosomes for cancer therapeutics is another research area that is gaining attention. This book chapter aims to explore the role of exosomes in tumor biogenesis, progression and clinical applications, comprehensively compiling the research for three tumor types, namely head and neck cancer, lung cancer and glioblastoma.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Exosomes
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
The Tumor Microenvironment
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

