Prospects and Challenges of Tissue-Derived Extracellular Vesicles

Authors

Justin C Lee
Roslyn M Ray
Tristan A Scott

Publication Date

9-4-2024

Journal

Molecular Therapy

DOI

10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.06.025

PMID

38910325

PMCID

PMC11403234

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

6-22-2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Humans, Extracellular Vesicles, Cell Communication, Animals, Biomarkers, Cellular Microenvironment, Extracellular vesicles, exosomes, tissue-derived, biomarkers, diagnostics, therapeutics, cancer, neurological disorders, metabolism

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered a vital component of cell-to-cell communication and represent a new frontier in diagnostics and a means to identify pathways for therapeutic intervention. Recently, studies have revealed the importance of tissue-derived EVs (Ti-EVs), which are EVs present in the interstitial spaces between cells, as they better represent the underlying physiology of complex, multicellular tissue microenvironments in biology and disease. EVs are native, lipid bilayer membraned nano-sized particles produced by all cells that are packaged with varied functional biomolecules including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. They are implicated in short- and long-range cellular communication and may elicit functional responses in recipient cells. To date, studies have often utilized cultured cells or biological fluids as a source for EVs that do not capture local molecular signatures of the tissue microenvironment. Recent work utilizing Ti-EVs has elucidated novel biomarkers for disease and provided insights into disease mechanisms that may lead to the development of novel therapeutic agents. Still, there are considerable challenges facing current studies. This review explores the vast potential and unique challenges for Ti-EV research and provides considerations for future studies that seek to advance this exciting field.