Exosomes as Drug Carriers for Cancer Therapy

Dear Colleagues,

Liquid biopsy has several advantages over conventional methods, as it is less invasive, easily obtainable, repeatable, less burdensome for the patient, and more applicable in the diagnosis of distinct diseases (such as oncological, neurological, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases). Early detection, characterization, and monitoring of cancer are possible by using extracellular vesicles (EVs), i.e., mainly exosomes isolated from liquid biopsy samples. Exosomes are packed with several molecules, such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and metabolites. When these are released, they may affect the cell-to-cell communication, contributing to tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, metastasis, signal transduction, and immune responses. We may gather worthwhile information from exosomes to understand their role in the progression of cancer.  Several beneficial properties of exosomes make them promising therapeutic shuttle vesicles. Currently, the number of research works focusing on designed drugs or nucleic acids packed into exosomes has skyrocketed. Engineered exosome-based personalized medicine may be a new treatment option for cancer.

This Special Issue aims to address the latest research or new views on exosomes in the monitoring, characterization, and understanding of background mechanisms within cancer, as well as possible therapeutic applications for cancer therapy.

Prof. Dr. Sveva Bollini
Dr. Beáta Soltész
Guest Editors

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