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Extracellular vesicles transport a range of biomolecules, including nucleic acids and proteins, within a lipid bilayer. They are able to mediate communication with recipient cells through mechanisms such as surface receptor interaction, membrane fusion and receptor-mediated endocytosis. These properties make them suitable candidates for therapy delivery. They have the potential to overcome several limitations associated with common drug delivery methods, as they are highly biocompatible and can cross the blood brain barrier. Additionally, they are potentially useful in diagnosis, as they can be harvested and their contents analysed and used to assess biomarker levels. Though the application of extracellular vesicles, including exosomes, is a growing area of research, further knowledge is required to maximise their clinical potential and overcome key challenges in the processes of their isolation and purification.
This Collection will present studies that demonstrate the clinical utility of extracellular vesicles, increase our understanding of the mechanisms through which they act, or describe new methods for their isolation, characterisation and loading.