Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2025

An Enrichment Method for Small Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Liver Cancer Tissue
Published on: February 3, 2023
The role of extracellular vesicles in cancer
Raghu Kalluri1, Kathleen M McAndrews1
1Department of Cancer Biology, Metastasis Research Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77054, USA.
Abstract:
Intercellular communication is a key feature of cancer progression and metastasis. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are generated by all cells, including cancer cells, and recent studies have identified EVs as key mediators of cell-cell communication via packaging and transfer of bioactive constituents to impact the biology and function of cancer cells and cells of the tumor microenvironment. Here, we review recent advances in understanding the functional contribution of EVs to cancer progression and metastasis, as cancer biomarkers, and the development of cancer 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...
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia
The Tumor Microenvironment
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 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...

