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Extracellular Vesicles as Nanoparticle Delivery Vectors in Cancer Therapy
Maria Sancho-Albero1,2,3,4, Ana Martín-Pardillos1,3,4,5,6, Jose L Hueso1,2,3,4,7
1Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, Campus Rio Ebro, Edificio I+D, C/Poeta Mariano Esquillor, s/n, Zaragoza 50018, Spain.
Nano Letters
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) show promise for cancer nanomedicine delivery, overcoming low tumor accumulation. Engineering EVs and developing EV-nanoparticle (NP) hybrids are key to improving cancer therapy outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Oncology
Background:
- Low tumor delivery (<1%) remains a critical challenge for nanoparticle (NP)-based cancer nanomedicine.
- Biologically derived delivery systems are emerging as a solution to reduce immune clearance and enhance tumor homing.
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer intrinsic biocompatibility, cell-specific tropism, and biological functionality for drug delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically analyze extracellular vesicles (EVs) as nanoparticle delivery vectors for cancer therapy.
- To review current EV engineering approaches and their associated challenges.
- To outline research needs for developing EV-nanoparticle (NP) hybrids to overcome delivery barriers in cancer.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on EV engineering for cancer nanomedicine.
- Analysis of EV loading methodologies and surface modification strategies.
- Examination of artificial or biomimetic EV development.
Main Results:
- EVs demonstrate potential for improved cancer therapy due to their inherent properties.
- Technical, scalability, and characterization challenges exist in current EV engineering approaches.
- Key in vitro and in vivo results regarding encapsulation, biodistribution, and therapeutic outcomes are summarized.
Conclusions:
- EVs are promising candidates for overcoming nanoparticle delivery challenges in cancer therapy.
- Further research is needed to address engineering and characterization hurdles for EV-NP hybrids.
- Development of EV-NP hybrids is crucial for advancing cancer nanomedicine.
