Exosomes Explained: Nature’s Intercellular Messengers

Exosomes are naturally occurring, extracellular vesicles that have evolved as an intercellular messenger system. Exosomes can be found in all tissues and biological fluids and can transport, protect, and deliver biologically active molecules that alter the function of recipient cells.

Delivering Payloads

In nature, exosomes protect and deliver functional macromolecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Exosomes can transfer their cargo to recipient cells or activate signaling pathways in order to change the behavior of the recipient cell.

Therapeutic potential

Exosomes may serve as a valuable therapeutic modality because of their ability to selectively transfer a wide variety of therapeutic payloads to cells, opening the door to broad potential utility in treating diseases that have evaded other approaches.