Post Isolation Modification of Exosomes for Nanomedicine Applications

Abstract

Exosomes are extracellular nanovesicles. They innately possess ideal structural and biocompatible nanocarrier properties. Exosome components can be engineered at the cellular level. Alternatively, when exosome source cells are unavailable for customized exosome production, exosomes derived from a variety of biological origins can be modified post isolation which is the focus of this article. Modification of exosome surface structures allows for exosome imaging and tracking in vivo. Exosome membranes can be loaded with hydrophobic therapeutics to increase drug stability and efficacy. Hydrophilic therapeutics such as RNA can be encapsulated in exosomes to improve cellular delivery. Despite advances in post isolation exosome modification strategies, many challenges to effectively harnessing their therapeutic potential remain. Future topics of exploration include: matching exosome subtypes with nanomedicine applications, optimizing exosomal nanocarrier formulation and investigating how modified exosomes interface with the immune system. Research into these areas will greatly facilitate personalized exosome-based nanomedicine endeavors.

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“…Several publications have also described ways of modifying the surface of an exosome in an attempt to target their delivery. These include both covalent and noncovalent strategies for the incorporation of target molecules on the surface of pre-isolated exosomes (Smyth et al 2014;Wang et al 2014;Nakase and Futaki 2015;Hood 2016;Armstrong et al 2017;Luan et al 2017) as well as using transfection to generate exosomes with targets on their surface. Through further development of methodologies to identify cells of origin and incorporate target structures, the potential of exosomes in diagnostics and therapeutics will greatly improve.…”

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“…Exosomes exhibit many useful features, such as their small size for penetrating deep into tissues, immune‐evasion,> high circulation half‐life, and the ability to target specific subtypes of tumor cells (targeted exosomes), hence making them a suitable alternative to nanopolymer‐based drug delivery systems . Exosomes are also capable of carrying both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drug payloads because they are composed of a hydrophobic lipid bilayer enclosing a hydrophilic aqueous core.…”