• Novel Applications of Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer Identification and Therapy: Investigating Bioengineered and Biomarker-Based Methods
  • Maliheh Mohammadkhani,1,* Fatemeh Rezagholi,2
    1. Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
    2. Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran


  • Introduction: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes and microvesicles have emerged as critical players in cancer biology due to their role in intercellular communication, carrying bioactive molecules that contribute to tumor progression, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Studies have shown that EVs from cancer cells enhance processes like angiogenesis and immune evasion that support the spread of cancer to parts of the body. Moreover EVs are also involved in regulating the system and the non invasive liquid biopsy approach utilizing EVs has proven effective in tracking tumor development and treatment outcomes particularly for brain tumors. These tiny vesicles offer an avenue for cancer therapy as they can be loaded with various substances, like proteins, short RNAs or chemotherapy drugs. Lately there has been a rising interest in using EVs derived from plants as alternatives for delivering anti cancer drugs due to their unique characteristics and compatibility, with the human body system. Recent advances in bioengineering have further expanded their therapeutic potential, which allow for the development of hybrid or fully synthetic EVs for targeted drug delivery and precision medicine.
  • Methods: This review discusses the recent research from various studies conducted between 2019 and 2024 on how EVs play a role, in diagnosing and treating cancer. The studies focused on carcinoma (HCC) esophageal cancer (EC) and EVs derived from platelets to explore the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of EVs. The approach involved analyzing findings related to EV biomarkers profiling, using bioengineered EVs for delivering drugs, and imaging in vivo with nanocarriers based on EVs.
  • Results: Extracellular Vesicles may serve as markers for early cancer detection, according to research, particularly for rapidly progressing tumours like hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). lung cancer and prostate cancer By battling treatment resistance and focussing on cancer stem cells, bioengineered and plant-based EVs have demonstrated enhanced capacities to administer medication efficiently. Emerging as novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools are platelet-derived EVs and EVs laden with microRNA. Furthermore, research on animals has indicated promise in the use of EVs to deliver RNA-based treatments.
  • Conclusion: Extracellular Vesicles show potential for detecting and treating cancer by providing ways to identify biomarkers without invasive procedures and delivering drugs effectively. Ongoing exploration of engineering EVs and how they influence signaling pathways could bring about approaches to customized cancer treatment. Future investigations need to address existing obstacles such as establishing methods for isolating EVs and ensuring scalability for use, in medical settings.
  • Keywords: Extracellular vesicles, cancer biomarkers, bioengineered vesicles, drug delivery, cancer therapy