title: Exosomes in Cancer Nanomedicine and Immunotherapy: Prospects and Challenges.
abstract: Exosomes (versatile, cell-derived nanovesicles naturally endowed with exquisite target-homing specificity and the ability to surmount in vivo biological barriers) hold substantial promise for developing exciting approaches in drug delivery and cancer immunotherapy. Specifically, bioengineered exosomes are being successfully deployed to deliver potent tumoricidal drugs (siRNAs and chemotherapeutic compounds) preferentially to cancer cells, while a new generation of exosome-based therapeutic cancer vaccines has produced enticing results in early-phase clinical trials. Here, we review the state-of-the-art technologies and protocols, and discuss the prospects and challenges for the clinical development of this emerging class of therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Hematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore.
authors.forename: Nicholas L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Syn
authors.affiliation: Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore. Electronic address: csiwl@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Lingzhi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore.
authors.forename: Edward Kai-Hua
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.affiliation: BioSystems and Micromechanics (BioSyM) IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, Singapore; Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chwee Teck
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Hematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore; Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore; Developmental Therapeutics Unit, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore.
authors.forename: Boon-Cher
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Goh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D055354:Exosomes; D006801:Humans; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D019496:Cancer Vaccines
keywords: cancer nanomedicine; cancer vaccines; drug delivery; exosomes; extracellular vesicles; immunotherapy