Exosomes are small vesicles ranging from 30-100nm in size that are found in nearly all eukaryotic fluids and facilitate a range of important cellular functions. They transfer DNA, RNA, and proteins to other cells, thereby altering the function of the targeted cells.

In recent years, exosomes have gained attention as a strategy for accessing the therapeutic effects of cells without the risks and difficulties of administering the cells to patients.

With at least 22,143 scientific articles published about exosomes and 253 clinical trials underway, these small vesicles have intriguing potential to be used within a range of therapeutic applications. [Read more…]

Prior to 2007, exosomes were largely considered to be tiny “trash sacs” thrown out of living cells. Around 2007, it as discovered that  exosomes carry RNAs and miRNAs, along with other molecules to regulate the expression of genes between cells. This discovery paved the way for the scientists to search for improved techniques for the exploitation of exosomes in treating diseases. [Read more…]

While solid biopsies have several limitations, including but not limited to their invasive nature, liquid biopsies can offer a promising alternative. Today, a growing number of companies are developing exosome diagnostics for the non-invasive detection and prognosis of cancer and other serious medical conditions. This approach is effective because exosomes are present in almost all body fluids and critical valuable information about the cells from which they were released. [Read more…]

In recent years, exosomes have emerged as promising and sensitive cancer biomarkers for use in disease diagnosis. Exosomes released from cancer cells after entering the circulation are transported in biological fluids along with their functional cargoes. Profiling the nucleic acids of exosomes derived from cancer cells by ultrasensitive next-generation sequencing and proteins by large-scale high-throughput proteomics can help us in early cancer detection, therapeutic stratification, and monitoring patient-specific responses to various cancer therapies. [Read more…]