Exosome engineering in cell therapy and drug delivery

Abstract

Cell-derived exosomes have opened new horizons in modern therapy for advanced drug delivery and therapeutic applications, due to their key features such as low immunogenicity, high physicochemical stability, capacity to penetrate into tissues, and the innate capacity to communicate with other cells over long distances. Exosome-based liquid biopsy has been potentially used for the diagnosis and prognosis of a range of disorders. Exosomes deliver therapeutic agents, including immunological modulators, therapeutic drugs, and antisense oligonucleotides to certain targets, and can be used as vaccines, though their clinical application is still far from reality. Producing exosomes on a large-scale is restricted to their low circulation lifetime, weak targeting capacity, and inappropriate controls, which need to be refined before being implemented in practice. Several bioengineering methods have been used for refining therapeutic applications of exosomes and promoting their effectiveness, on the one hand, and addressing the existing challenges, on the other. In the short run, new diagnostic platforms and emerging therapeutic strategies will further develop exosome engineering and therapeutic potential. This requires a thorough analysis of exosome engineering approaches along with their merits and drawbacks, as outlined in this paper. The present study is a comprehensive review of novel techniques for exosome development in terms of circulation time in the body, targeting capacity, and higher drug loading/delivery efficacies.

Creating Designer Engineered Extracellular Vesicles for Diverse Ligand Display, Target Recognition, and Controlled Protein Loading and Delivery

“…EVs have excellent biocompatibility, stability, and low immunogenicity. [4,5] They shield their cargo while in circulation [6] and their surface provides naturally occurring sites for modifications that can contribute to their functionalization. [7] These remarkable features are driving the advance of EV-based therapies, but several challenges limit their therapeutic applications.…”

Fusion of Exosomes and Nanotechnology: Cutting-Edge Cancer Theranostics

“…This method is limited in life-threatening toxicity, but the most exciting fact is CAR T-cell-derived exosomes are less toxic compared to CAR-T therapy . In cancer treatment, CAR T-cell-derived exosomes are an effective solution. , Modified exosomes, artificial exosomes, and chimeric exosomes are frontiers of exosomes-based translational medicine, and these types of exosomes show effective antitumor activity. − Engineered exosomes developed after modifications in surface and inner cargo level is effective on anticancer activity. − Modified exosomes have now become the leading approach in exosomes-based cancer therapy.…”

Extracellular vesicles and their cells of origin: Open issues in autoimmune diseases

“…The other criteria that highlighted the potential of EVs for future therapeutic applications are their ability to be engineered or modified ( 269 , 271 , 272 , 351 , 352 ). They could be loaded with unexpected target/s or encapsulated with different bio-scaffolds upon the urgent need ( 237 , 353 ).…”