In the field of molecular oncology, microRNAs (miRNAs) and their role in regulating physiological processes and cancer pathogenesis have been a revolutionary discovery over the last decade. It is now considered that miRNA dysregulation influences critical molecular pathways involved in tumor progression, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis in a wide range of cancer types. Hence, altering miRNA levels in cancer cells has promising potential as a therapeutic intervention, which is discussed in many other articles in this Special Issue. Some of the most significant hurdles in therapeutic miRNA usage are the stability and the delivery system. In this review, we cover a comprehensive update on the challenges and strategies for the development of therapeutic miRNA delivery systems that includes virus-based delivery, non-viral delivery (artificial lipid-based vesicles, polymer-based or chemical structures), and recently emerged extracellular vesicle (EV)-based delivery systems.

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Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are attracting interest as a new class of drug delivery vehicles due to their intrinsic nature of biomolecular transport in the body. We previously demonstrated that EV surface modification with tissue-specific molecules accomplished targeted EV-mediated DNA delivery. Methods: Here, we describe reliable methods for (i) generating EGFR tumor-targeting EVs via the display of high-affinity monobodies and (ii) in vitro measurement of EV binding using fluorescence and bioluminescence labeling. Monobodies are a well-suited class of small (10 kDa) non-antibody scaffolds derived from the human fibronectin type III (FN3) domain. Results: The recombinant protein consists of the EGFR-targeting monobody fused to the EV-binding domain of lactadherin (C1C2), enabling the monobody displayed on the surface of the EVs. In addition, the use of bioluminescence or fluorescence molecules on the EV surface allows for the assessment of EV binding to the target cells. Conclusions: In this paper, we describe methods of EV engineering to generate targeted delivery vehicles using monobodies that will have diverse applications to furnish future EV therapeutic development, including qualitative and quantitative in vitro evaluation for their binding capacity.

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