Extracellular Vesicles as Modulators of Cancer Initiation, Progression and Therapy Resistance

Dear Colleagues,

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are 50–1000 nm sized, membrane-bound particles released by both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and involved in cell-to-cell communication. They can be found in various body fluids, such as blood, urine and saliva, transferring proteins, RNAs, miRNAs and lncRNAs from the originating cells to both neighboring and distant cells.

It is now widely accepted that EVs play a key role in different tumorigenic processes, including cancer proliferation, migration and angiogenesis, as well as tumor drug resistance. Moreover, they are implicated in the interactions between malignant and non-malignant cells in the tumor microenvironment, such as stromal and immune cells. Due to their ubiquitous presence in body fluids and their characteristic of often reflecting the molecular signature of the donor cell, they have recently emerged as promising biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Exciting therapeutic strategies aimed at exploiting EVs as biocompatible drug delivery platforms are also being explored.

This Special Issue focuses on the role of EVs in cancer development, metastasis and therapy resistance. Original papers and review articles on the following topics are welcome: I) mechanisms of EVs’ release and uptake in cancer; II) EV-mediated cross-talk between malignant and non-malignant cells in the tumor microenvironment; III) EVs’ role in the emergence of cancer drug resistance; IV) EVs as a source of biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis; V) EVs as drug delivery vehicles for cancer treatment.

Dr. Fabrizio Fontana
Dr. Maria Felice Brizzi
Dr. Priya Samuel
Guest Editors

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