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Extracellular vesicle-based protein and RNA delivery
Tiantian Li1, Haonan Xing2, Yuanyu Huang1
1School of Life Science; School of Interdisciplinary Science, Aerospace Center Hospital, Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, Key Laboratory of Medical Molecule Science and Pharmaceutics Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, PR China.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics
|November 24, 2025
Summary
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer a promising solution for delivering protein and RNA therapies, overcoming challenges in safety and efficacy. Engineering EVs enhances their potential for treating various diseases.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Nanomedicine
- Therapeutics
Background:
- Protein and RNA therapies offer revolutionary disease treatment but face challenges in safety, stability, and bioavailability.
- Efficient delivery platforms are crucial for enhancing therapeutic effects and expanding clinical applications of these therapies.
- Nanocarriers have advanced significantly, with extracellular vesicles (EVs) showing particular promise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in extracellular vesicle (EV)-based delivery systems for proteins and RNA.
- To explore endogenous and exogenous engineering strategies for optimizing EV delivery platforms.
- To discuss the therapeutic applications and clinical research progress of EV-based protein and RNA therapies.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on extracellular vesicle (EV) engineering for therapeutic delivery.
- Analysis of endogenous and exogenous modification techniques for EVs.
- Examination of disease applications and clinical trial data for EV-based therapies.
Main Results:
- EVs possess inherent properties like low immunogenicity, safety, and cargo protection, making them ideal natural delivery vehicles.
- Various engineering approaches (endogenous and exogenous) can enhance EV functionality for protein and RNA delivery.
- EV-based therapies are being explored for a range of diseases, with ongoing clinical research demonstrating progress.
Conclusions:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a highly effective and safe platform for protein and RNA delivery.
- Engineering strategies are key to maximizing the therapeutic potential of EVs.
- EV-based therapies show significant promise for clinical translation across diverse diseases.
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