Extracellular Vesicles: Biomarkers and Therapeutic Carriers in Human Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key mediators of intercellular communication and play crucial roles in human physiology and disease. Secreted by most cell types, EVs transport bioactive cargo—including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids—that reflect the molecular and functional status of their cells of origin. Beyond reflecting cellular identity, EVs actively modulate fundamental cellular processes such as senescence, autophagy, apoptosis, metabolic reprogramming, and immune responses, thereby influencing tissue homeostasis, aging, and disease progression.

These characteristics make EVs highly promising, minimally invasive biomarkers for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring, particularly in conditions associated with cellular stress, degeneration, inflammation, and cancer.

In parallel, EVs have attracted significant interest as therapeutic carriers due to their biocompatibility, stability in biological fluids, and ability to cross biological barriers. Recent advances in EV isolation, characterization, and engineering have expanded their potential applications in targeted drug delivery, gene therapy, immunomodulation, and the regulation of cell fate decisions, including the modulation of senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASP) and autophagic pathways.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to showcase high-quality research that advances the understanding of EV biology and explores their translational applications in human health and disease.

We welcome original research articles and reviews addressing EV biogenesis, cargo loading, analytical technologies, biomarker discovery, therapeutic development, and EV-mediated regulation of cellular processes such as senescence, autophagy, and cell survival. Contributions integrating basic, translational, and clinical perspectives are particularly encouraged.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. José Eduardo Vargas
Guest Editor

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