Exosomes: a promising avenue for cancer diagnosis beyond treatment

Abstract

Exosomes, extracellular vesicles secreted by cells, have garnered significant attention in recent years for their remarkable therapeutic potential. These nanoscale carriers can be harnessed for the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents, such as pharmaceuticals, proteins, and nucleic acids, across biological barriers. This versatile attribute of exosomes is a promising modality for precision medicine applications, notably in the realm of cancer therapy. However, despite their substantial therapeutic potential, exosomes still confront challenges tied to standardization and scalability that impede their practice in clinical applications. Moreover, heterogeneity in isolation methodologies and limited cargo loading mechanisms pose obstacles to ensuring consistent outcomes, thereby constraining their therapeutic utility. In contrast, exosomes exhibit a distinct advantage in cancer diagnosis, as they harbor specific signatures reflective of the tumor’s genetic and proteomic profile. This characteristic endows them with the potential to serve as valuable liquid biopsies for non-invasive and real-time monitoring, making possible early cancer detection for the development of personalized treatment strategies. In this review, we provide an extensive evaluation of the advancements in exosome research, critically examining their advantages and limitations in the context of cancer therapy and early diagnosis. Furthermore, we present a curated overview of the most recent technological innovations utilizing exosomes, with a focus on enhancing the efficacy of early cancer detection.

Exosome-like Systems: From Therapies to Vaccination for Cancer Treatment and Prevention—Exploring the State of the Art

“…In this regard, exosomes released by immune cells could play a vital role in immune regulations and also communication between the innate and adaptive immune system [87]. Therefore, it attracts more researchers' attention to employ these vesicles for cancer immunotherapy, diagnosis, and drug delivery therapy [88,89].…”

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“… 54 However, there are many limitations to early diagnosis, such as invasiveness, low sensitivity, high cost, and low acceptance. 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 In the treatment of some intractable diseases (tumors, neuropsychiatric disorders, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases), despite the addition of many new drugs, the therapeutic effect has been seriously affected by the problems of blood–brain barrier (BBB) obstruction, drug tolerance, and poor drug targeting. 59 …”