Extracellular Vesicles Based Drug Delivery

Dear Colleagues,

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are naturally occurring nanoparticles that are implicated in cell-to-cell communication. They comprise a cell of origin-derived membrane-embedding signaling molecules that are secreted by cells and shared with neighboring or distant cells. Intercellular communication via vesicle transport is a highly conserved biological process that occurs across the three domains of life, including protists, plants, fungi, bacteria, invertebrates, and vertebrates. The physiological role of EVs is associated with the delivery of molecules that modulate specific pathways in the recipient cells. EVs have garnered increasing interest in drug delivery due to their ability to be appropriately engineered using therapeutic cargoes in order to exploit their biocompatibility, efficient cell delivery, protection from degrading enzymes and deep tissue penetration. Several studies have shown that EVs can deliver nucleic acids (mRNA, DNA, small RNAs, etc.), antibodies, proteins and recombinant proteins, small molecules and plasmids. EVs are emerging as a revolutionary method for delivering drugs or other healing molecules. These unique properties position EVs as a promising novel tool in the fight against cancer and other diseases. Therefore, EVs can be harnessed for various therapeutic applications, such as gene therapy, chemotherapy, and vaccine development. Moreover, EVs may play a pivotal role in Regenerative Medicine. As a natural product, EVs possess several advantages with respect to synthetic lipid nanoparticles; however, several challenges related to the optimal EV source, scalable production, and optimization of cargo loading remain. This Special Issue of Cells focuses on these critical aspects, including the application diverse techniques for EV engineering, the efficiency and specific targeting of delivery, and the cell of EV origin (human cells, bacteria, fungi, plants) in relation to their biocompatibility, biodistribution and scalable production. Moreover, the comparison of EVs with synthetic lipid nanoparticles for potential therapeutic applications should be discussed. Finally, this Special Issue welcomes the submission of articles that present various applications of engineered EVs and their ability to counteract human pathologies.

Prof. Dr. Giovanni Camussi
Dr. Cristina Grange
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• EV engineering
• targeting
• therapy
• natural carrier
• exosomes