Advances in therapeutic applications of extracellular vesicles

Oscar P B Wiklander; Meadhbh Á Brennan; Jan Lötvall; Xandra O Breakefield; Samir El Andaloussi

doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aav8521

Advances in therapeutic applications of extracellular vesicles

Sci Transl Med. 2019 May 15;11(492):eaav8521. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aav8521.

Authors

Oscar P B Wiklander^{1

2}, Meadhbh Á Brennan^{3

4

5}, Jan Lötvall⁶, Xandra O Breakefield⁴, Samir El Andaloussi^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 141 86 Stockholm, Sweden. [email protected] [email protected].
² Evox Therapeutics Limited, Medawar Centre, Robert Robinson Avenue, Oxford OX4 4HG, UK.
³ Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
⁴ Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
⁵ INSERM UMR 1238, PhyOS, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Nantes, 44034 Nantes cedex 1, France.
⁶ Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometer-sized, lipid membrane-enclosed vesicles secreted by most, if not all, cells and contain lipids, proteins, and various nucleic acid species of the source cell. EVs act as important mediators of intercellular communication that influence both physiological and pathological conditions. Given their ability to transfer bioactive components and surmount biological barriers, EVs are increasingly being explored as potential therapeutic agents. EVs can potentiate tissue regeneration, participate in immune modulation, and function as potential alternatives to stem cell therapy, and bioengineered EVs can act as delivery vehicles for therapeutic agents. Here, we cover recent approaches and advances of EV-based therapies.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Bioengineering
Disease
Drug Delivery Systems
Extracellular Vesicles / metabolism*
Humans
Immunotherapy

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding