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In Vivo Immunogenicity Screening of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles by Flow Cytometry of Splenic T Cells
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In Vivo Immunogenicity Screening of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles by Flow Cytometry of Splenic T Cells

Published on: September 23, 2021

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Harnessing extracellular vesicle-mediated crosstalk between T cells and cancer cells for therapeutic applications

Omar M Budayr1, Brian C Miller2, Juliane Nguyen3

  • 1Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.

Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society
|December 10, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from cancer cells suppress T cell immunity, while T cell-derived EVs promote anti-cancer responses. Understanding this EV crosstalk is key for developing novel immunotherapies.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Nanomedicine

Background:

  • Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key mediators of intercellular communication, particularly among immune cells.
  • Their role in immune modulation has implications for developing novel immunotherapeutic treatments.
  • However, the specific crosstalk between T cells and cancer cells involving EVs remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the dual role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in T cell-mediated cancer immunity.
  • To discuss how tumor-derived EVs (TD-EVs) modulate T cell function.
  • To explore how T cell-derived EVs influence adaptive immunity against cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Review and discussion of existing literature on EV-mediated intercellular communication in cancer immunology.
  • Analysis of how TD-EVs impact T cell effector and regulatory functions.
  • Examination of the role of T cell-derived EVs in stimulating anti-cancer immunity.

Main Results:

  • Tumor-derived EVs (TD-EVs) inhibit T cell effector functions and promote regulatory T cell (Treg) activity, thereby suppressing anti-tumor immunity.
  • Conversely, EVs derived from effector T cells can enhance anti-cancer immunity, inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis.
  • EVs exhibit a dual capacity: they can both impair T cell-mediated immunity and mediate therapeutic effects.

Conclusions:

  • Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a complex, context-dependent role in cancer immunity.
  • Understanding the specific mechanisms of EV-mediated crosstalk between T cells and cancer cells is crucial.
  • Harnessing the immunomodulatory properties of EVs holds promise for advancing next-generation cancer therapeutics and nanocarriers.
Keywords:
CAR T derived EVsCD8+ derived EVsT cell derived EVsT cell exosomesTumor derived EVs

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