Trends and Challenges in Exosome-Based Anticancer Therapy: Roles and Strategies in the Tumor Microenvironment
Received Date: Apr 08, 2024 / Published Date: May 09, 2024
Abstract
The multiple forms of cancer, which comprises over 200 different forms, remains a leading cause of death globally, with existing treatments encountering challenges in achieving satisfactory responses. While immunotherapy shows promise, it has low response rates and necessitates alternative or complementary strategies. Classical chemotherapy, which is widely used, is limited by significant side effects and efficacy constraints. Hence, novel therapies that leverage existing anticancer treatments, while addressing their limitations, are urgently needed. Exosomes, nano-sized vesicles (50–150 nm), play crucial roles in intercellular communication by transporting lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids derived from parent cells. This review explores the potential of exosomes in anticancer drug development, focusing on their roles in the tumor microenvironment, and discusses the challenges and strategies for drug development. Exosomes have been implicated in the tumor microenvironment by modulating cancer growth, metastasis, and drug resistance.
They mediate metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells, promote angiogenesis, and facilitate immune evasion, thereby contributing to tumor progression. However, exosomes exhibit antitumor functions by activating tumor-specific immune responses and suppressing cancer growth. Efforts to harness exosomes for drug development face several challenges, including exosome heterogeneity, standard isolation methods, mass production, and purification. Strategies to address these challenges include refining exosome isolation techniques based on size and biomarker profiles, advancing large-scale production technologies, and optimizing purification methods. In conclusion, despite the hurdles in exosome research and drug development, recent advancements in our understanding of exosome biology and technology offer promising avenues for anticancer therapy. Future research focusing on refining exosome-based therapies and overcoming existing challenges holds great potential for improving cancer treatment outcomes.
Keywords: Cancer therapy; Drug delivery system; Drug development; Exosome, Exosome-based therapy
Citation: Kim SB (2024) Trends and Challenges in Exosome-Based Anticancer Therapy: Roles and Strategies in the Tumor Microenvironment. Cell Mol Biol S1:002. Doi: 10.4172/1165-158X.24.S1.002
Copyright: © 2024 Kim SB. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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