Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec;32(51):e2002440.
doi: 10.1002/adma.202002440. Epub 2020 Oct 5.

Emerging Prospects of Exosomes for Cancer Treatment: From Conventional Therapy to Immunotherapy

Gi-Hoon Nam  1 , Yoonjeong Choi  1   2 , Gi Beom Kim  1   2 , Seohyun Kim  1   2 , Seong A Kim  1   2 , In-San Kim  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Emerging Prospects of Exosomes for Cancer Treatment: From Conventional Therapy to Immunotherapy

Gi-Hoon Nam et al. Adv Mater. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Exosomes are a class of extracellular vesicles of around 100 nm in diameter that are secreted by most cells and contain various bioactive molecules reflecting their cellular origin and mediate intercellular communication. Studies of these exosomal features in tumor pathogenesis have led to the development of therapeutic and diagnostic approaches using exosomes for cancer therapy. Exosomes have many advantages for conveying therapeutic agents such as small interfering RNAs, microRNAs, membrane-associated proteins, and chemotherapeutic compounds; thus, they are considered a prime candidate as a delivery tool for cancer treatment. Since exosomes also provide an optimal microenvironment for the effective function of immunomodulatory factors, exosomes harboring bioactive molecules have been bioengineered as cancer immunotherapies that can effectively activate each stage of the cancer immunity cycle to successfully elicit cancer-specific immunity. This review discusses the advantages of exosomes for treating cancer and the challenges that must be overcome for their successful clinical development.

Keywords: cancer therapeutics; characterization and clinical-grade exosomes; exosomes; extracellular vesicles; immunotherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration, JAMA Oncol. 2017, 3, 524.
    1. E. D. Schwab, K. J. Pienta, Med. Hypotheses 1996, 47, 235.
    1. Y. W. Cho, S. Y. Kim, I. C. Kwon, I. S. Kim, J. Controlled Release 2014, 175, 43.
    1. S. A. Hoption Cann, J. P. van Netten, C. van Netten, Postgrad Med. J. 2003, 79, 672.
    1. D. M. Pardoll, Nat. Rev. Cancer 2012, 12, 252.

LinkOut - more resources