Extracellular vesicles as nature's nano carriers in cancer therapy: Insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applications
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are secreted by various cell types, hold significant potential for cancer therapy. However, there are several challenges and difficulties that limit their application in clinical settings. This review, which integrates the work of our team and recent advancements...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Pharmacological Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661825001768 |
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| author | Xiaotong Wu Yuhua Meng Zhimeng Yao Xiaona Lin Mengyuan Hu Songwang Cai Shegan Gao Hao Zhang |
| author_facet | Xiaotong Wu Yuhua Meng Zhimeng Yao Xiaona Lin Mengyuan Hu Songwang Cai Shegan Gao Hao Zhang |
| author_sort | Xiaotong Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are secreted by various cell types, hold significant potential for cancer therapy. However, there are several challenges and difficulties that limit their application in clinical settings. This review, which integrates the work of our team and recent advancements in this research field, discusses EV-based cancer treatment strategies to guide their clinical application. The following treatment strategies are discussed: 1) leveraging the inherent properties of EVs for the development of cancer treatments; 2) modifying EVs using EV engineering methods to improve drug loading and delivery; 3) targeting key molecules in tumor-derived EV (TDE) synthesis to inhibit their production; and 4) clearing TDEs from the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, on the basis of research into EV-based vaccines and bispecific antibodies, this review elaborates on strategies to enhance antitumor immunity via EVs and discusses engineering modifications that can improve EV targeting ability and stability and the research progress of Artificial intelligence (AI) technology in targeted delivery of EV drugs. Although there are limited strategies for enhancing EV targeting abilities, this review provides an in-depth discussion of prior studies. Finally, this review summarizes the clinical progress on the use of EVs in cancer therapy and highlights challenges that need to be addressed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-662765571d3044dbbc1c96112d4eaa81 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1096-1186 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmacological Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-662765571d3044dbbc1c96112d4eaa812025-08-20T03:09:55ZengElsevierPharmacological Research1096-11862025-07-0121710775110.1016/j.phrs.2025.107751Extracellular vesicles as nature's nano carriers in cancer therapy: Insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applicationsXiaotong Wu0Yuhua Meng1Zhimeng Yao2Xiaona Lin3Mengyuan Hu4Songwang Cai5Shegan Gao6Hao Zhang7State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, and Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, and Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, and Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Urology Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, and Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, and Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaCollege of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, Henan Key Laboratory of Cancer Epigenetics, Luoyang, Henan, China; Corresponding authors.Department of Pathology, Gongli Hospital of Shanghai Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China; Department of Pathology, and Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Pathology, Gongli Hospital of Shanghai Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China.Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are secreted by various cell types, hold significant potential for cancer therapy. However, there are several challenges and difficulties that limit their application in clinical settings. This review, which integrates the work of our team and recent advancements in this research field, discusses EV-based cancer treatment strategies to guide their clinical application. The following treatment strategies are discussed: 1) leveraging the inherent properties of EVs for the development of cancer treatments; 2) modifying EVs using EV engineering methods to improve drug loading and delivery; 3) targeting key molecules in tumor-derived EV (TDE) synthesis to inhibit their production; and 4) clearing TDEs from the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, on the basis of research into EV-based vaccines and bispecific antibodies, this review elaborates on strategies to enhance antitumor immunity via EVs and discusses engineering modifications that can improve EV targeting ability and stability and the research progress of Artificial intelligence (AI) technology in targeted delivery of EV drugs. Although there are limited strategies for enhancing EV targeting abilities, this review provides an in-depth discussion of prior studies. Finally, this review summarizes the clinical progress on the use of EVs in cancer therapy and highlights challenges that need to be addressed.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661825001768Extracellular vesiclesDrug loadingEV engineeringTargeting EVEV immunotherapyClinical trials |
| spellingShingle | Xiaotong Wu Yuhua Meng Zhimeng Yao Xiaona Lin Mengyuan Hu Songwang Cai Shegan Gao Hao Zhang Extracellular vesicles as nature's nano carriers in cancer therapy: Insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applications Pharmacological Research Extracellular vesicles Drug loading EV engineering Targeting EV EV immunotherapy Clinical trials |
| title | Extracellular vesicles as nature's nano carriers in cancer therapy: Insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applications |
| title_full | Extracellular vesicles as nature's nano carriers in cancer therapy: Insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applications |
| title_fullStr | Extracellular vesicles as nature's nano carriers in cancer therapy: Insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Extracellular vesicles as nature's nano carriers in cancer therapy: Insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applications |
| title_short | Extracellular vesicles as nature's nano carriers in cancer therapy: Insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applications |
| title_sort | extracellular vesicles as nature s nano carriers in cancer therapy insights toward preclinical studies and clinical applications |
| topic | Extracellular vesicles Drug loading EV engineering Targeting EV EV immunotherapy Clinical trials |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661825001768 |
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