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Engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs): Promising diagnostic/therapeutic tools for pediatric high-grade glioma
Yuan Lyu1, Yupei Guo2, Chioma M Okeoma3
1Medical Research Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China; Henan Joint International Laboratory of Glioma Metabolism and Microenvironment Research, Henan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China; Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.
Abstract:
Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a highly malignant brain tumor that mainly occurs in children with extremely low overall survival. Traditional therapeutic strategies, such as surgical resection and chemotherapy, are not feasible mostly due to the special location and highly diffused features. Radiotherapy turns out to be the standard treatment method but with limited benefits of overall survival. A broad search for novel and targeted therapies is in the progress of both preclinical investigations and clinical trials. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) emerged as a promising diagnostic and therapeutic candidate due to their distinct biocompatibility, excellent cargo-loading-delivery capacity, high biological barrier penetration efficiency, and ease of modification. The utilization of EVs in various diseases as biomarker diagnoses or therapeutic agents is revolutionizing modern medical research and practice. In this review, we will briefly talk about the research development of DIPG, and present a detailed description of EVs in medical applications, with a discussion on the application of engineered peptides on EVs. The possibility of applying EVs as a diagnostic tool and drug delivery system in DIPG is also discussed.
Insights
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) show promise for treating diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare childhood brain cancer. These engineered EVs could offer new diagnostic and drug delivery solutions for DIPG patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Nanomedicine
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a highly aggressive pediatric brain tumor with poor prognosis.
- Current treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy offer limited survival benefits due to DIPG's location and diffuse nature.
- There is an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies for DIPG.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current research landscape of DIPG.
- To explore the potential of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool for DIPG.
- To discuss the application of engineered peptides on EVs for enhanced DIPG treatment.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of DIPG research and extracellular vesicle applications.
- Analysis of EV properties including biocompatibility, cargo capacity, and barrier penetration.
- Discussion on the modification of EVs with engineered peptides for targeted delivery.
Main Results:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) possess favorable characteristics for medical applications, including high biocompatibility and efficient cargo delivery.
- Engineered EVs demonstrate potential for overcoming biological barriers, crucial for brain tumor treatment.
- EVs can be modified to carry therapeutic agents and serve as diagnostic biomarkers.
Conclusions:
- Extracellular vesicles represent a promising platform for developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.
- Engineered EVs, particularly those modified with specific peptides, offer a potential strategy to improve drug delivery and treatment efficacy in DIPG.
- Further research into EV-based therapies is warranted to address the unmet clinical needs in DIPG treatment.
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