About this Research Topic
Ever since the discovery of exosomes by researchers such as Stahl and Johnston, the field of exosomal biology has exploded in the last 30 years. These tiny intra-luminal membranous vesicles, resembling miniaturized versions of cells are secreted by all cell types under physiological and pathological conditions. Exosome research has gained tremendous importance due to increasing recognition of their pivotal role in both intercellular as well as intracellular communication and transport of biomolecules, including lipids, proteins, DNAs, messenger RNAs, and miRNAs.
The fact that exosomes appear in almost all biological fluids including plasma, bronchial fluid, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), and breast milk to name a few, has attracted the attention of biologists working in various areas of science, aiming to develop therapeutic strategies for regenerative medicine, cancer immunotherapy, vaccinology, and drug delivery. Rapid vaccine development for the treatment of viruses, such as COVID-19, is an urgent issue. Exosomes are beneficial in this field due to their size, unique cellular contents, excellent structural stability, editable surface structure, and cargo loading capability with proven inter-cellular communication– this makes exosomes an attractive candidate in the treatment of metastatic cancer, hair restoration, and more recently, treatment of Covid-19. These are just a few areas of medical science where exosomes have found tremendous therapeutic use with far fewer risks. A clear understanding of exosomal dynamics is going to open up and revolutionize cost-effective diagnostics, non-invasive biopsy, development of novel therapeutic strategies and solutions toward infertility treatments and neurodegenerative diseases.
This Research Topic aims to collect Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, and perspectives in the advancement of exosome and nanophosphors based diagnostics, non-invasive biopsy, and therapeutic approaches. Areas of interest include but are not limited to, the following:
• Exosomes: Isolation Methods and Characterization
• Exosome Biomarkers as non-invasive diagnostic tools
• Exosomes as nano-vehicles in targeted Drug Delivery
• Functionalised Exosomes in Therapeutic Applications in Cancer
• Exosomal research in Vaccine development towards Covid -19 and respiratory viruses
• Exosome-based hair loss therapy
• Exosomes in Regenerative therapy of Neurodegenerative diseases
Keywords: Exosomes, Biomarker, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Methods, Tools
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