Advanced optical methods and strategies for extracellular vesicles characterization and dynamic studies

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanomedicine
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) show potential as nanocarriers for drug delivery.
• Clinical translation of EVs is hindered by challenges in characterizing their dynamic interactions with target cells at the single-particle level.
• The dynamic reaction between EVs and target cells remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate how advanced microscopy and artificial intelligence (AI) can be integrated to understand EV biology dynamically and label-free.
• To provide a roadmap for researchers utilizing these technologies for EV-based therapeutics.

Main Methods:

• Review of EV properties and common EV tracking probes.
• Discussion of recent advances in microscopic techniques for visualizing EV uptake.
• Exploration of AI-driven image analysis for complex EV-cell interaction processes.

Main Results:

• Advanced microscopy and AI offer solutions to characterize dynamic, label-free EV-cell interactions.
• These technologies can provide a deeper understanding of EV biology at the single-particle level.
• Integration of these techniques is crucial for advancing EV-based therapeutics.

Conclusions:

• Advanced microscopy and AI are essential tools for overcoming current bottlenecks in EV research.
• Leveraging these technologies offers new perspectives for developing effective EV-based therapeutics.
• This review provides a roadmap for researchers to utilize these cutting-edge tools.