The Molecular Basis of Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Diseases—2nd Edition
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 266
Special Issue Editor
2. Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Interests: extracellular vesicles; neuro-oncology; tumor immunology; tumor microenvironment; microRNAs; gene and cell therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), i.e., nanoparticles with a bilayer membrane, are secreted by almost all cell types and can be found in bodily fluids. EVs are heterogeneous and play a crucial role in cell-to-cell communication by carrying bioactive molecules that can modulate the behavior of target cells at both close and distant sites. The composition of EVs is determined by their biogenetic molecular pathway, as well as the microenvironment of the parent cell. Regardless of their origin, EVs carry a diverse set of bioactive molecules, including lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins, either inside the vesicle or exposed on their surface. Recent studies have provided valuable insight into the physiological and pathological roles of EVs. Technological advances in the detection, isolation, and characterization of EVs are significantly expanding, supporting research on their potential role in the diagnosis and therapy of various diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, neurological diseases, and infectious diseases.
This Special Issue aims to provide comprehensive and critical knowledge on the pre-clinical and clinical applications of EVs in relation to the pathophysiology of different diseases, evaluate their diagnostic and therapeutic potential, and review the progress in this field. The published research articles will also provide new insights into the genetic and epigenetic predictors driven by EVs involved in the etiology of multiple diseases.
Scope and information for Authors:
This Special Issue covers various areas of research on the involvement of EVs in diseases, including genetics, epigenetics, RNAs, proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiome studies. The scope ranges from the most basic to the most clinically applied research, incorporating methodology, applications, and implications. We welcome submissions of research articles on the following sub-themes: extracellular vesicles and circulating nucleic acids, extracellular vesicles for the transport of genetic information and gene therapy, the transfer of nucleic acid to mediate communication by extracellular vesicles, the role of extracellular vesicles in epigenetics, microbiota-derived extracellular vesicles and their molecular cargo, extracellular vesicles as biomarkers and therapeutic targets, the heterogeneity of EVs in diseases, and new technology to isolate and characterize EVs.
The Special Issue is open access and both reviews and original research articles are welcome for submissions.
Dr. Taral R. Lunavat
Guest Editor
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
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Keywords
- exosomes
- microvesicles
- extracellular vesicles
- genetic material
- therapeutics
- diagnostics
- biomarkers
- molecular pathway
- liquid biopsy
- metabolism
- omics
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