Title:Engineered Exosomes for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy: A Promising
Approach and Application
Volume: 21
Issue: 6
Author(s): Peiwen Fu, Siqi Yin, Huiying Cheng, Wenrong Xu*Jiajia Jiang*
Affiliation:
- Aoyang Cancer Institute, Affiliated Aoyang Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhangjiagang, 215600, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine,
School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, China
- Aoyang Cancer Institute, Affiliated Aoyang Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhangjiagang, 215600, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine,
School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, China
Keywords:
Engineered exosomes, extracellular vesicles, drug delivery, gene therapy, anti-cancer, circRNAs.
Abstract: A significant amount of research effort is currently focused on investigating the role of exosomes
in various cancers. These tiny vesicles, apart from acting as biomarkers, also play a crucial role in
tumor formation and development. Several studies have demonstrated that exosomes can be a drug delivery
vehicle for cancer therapy. In this paper, we highlight the key advantages of exosomes as a drug
delivery candidate, with a particular focus on their low immunogenicity, natural targeting ability and
suitable mechanical properties. Furthermore, we propose that the selection of appropriate exosomes and
drug loading methods based on therapeutic goals and product heterogeneity is essential for preparing
engineered exosomes. We comprehensively analyzed the superiorities of current drug-loading methods
to improve the creation of designed exosomes. Moreover, we systematically review the applications of
engineered exosomes in various therapies such as immunotherapy, gene therapy, protein therapy, chemotherapy,
indicating that engineered exosomes have the potential to be reliable and, safe drug carriers
that can address the unmet needs in cancer clinical practice.