Applications of Engineered Extracellular Vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) serve as important mediators of intercellular communication that deliver specific miRNAs, proteins, and bioactive lipids from donor cells and regulate a variety of biological processes. EVs have emerged as a novel cell-free therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of diseases because of their unique biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and bioactivity properties. However, the poor targeting efficiency, low content of functional cargos, heterogeneity, and compositional complexity limit their clinical application. Increasing studies have shown that EVs can be engineered to improve the efficiency of drug loading and targeting capacity. This book chapter mainly comprehensively introduces the current methods of engineering the EVs and compares the advantages and disadvantages of each method.