Exosomes are tiny, fluid-filled sacs that are naturally released from cells into blood and other fluids in the body. These nanoparticles facilitate communication between cells by carrying genetic information and proteins, and have long been considered a promising tool for delivering targeted drugs to specific organs. Now, in a scientific first, cancer researchers have developed multifunctional, engineered exosomes for cancer treatment and tested them in mice.
On their surface, the exosomes display four different types of proteins involved in eliciting an antitumor immune response in humans. The engineered exosomes, called GEMINI-Exos, are described in a paper published in the September 7 issue of Molecular Therapy and open up the possibility of reprogramming native nanocarriers, which are safer and less likely to cause long-term adverse effects than synthetic nanoparticles, in many different ways for personalized immunotherapy.
Sonia Melo, a biochemist at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health in Portugal, ...
