OnCo
technologiesTechnologyPhase 1

Engineered exosomes as drug carriers

Loading the tiny vesicles cells naturally use to talk to each other with a cancer drug, so the body treats the carrier as its own.

Exosomes are natural lipid vesicles that cross biological barriers and are poorly cleared by the immune system. The best-known oncology example is iExosomes, mesenchymal-cell exosomes loaded with siRNA against KRAS G12D, in a phase 1 in pancreatic cancer at MD Anderson (NCT03608631). Manufacturing consistency, loading efficiency and potency per particle are the barriers; no exosome therapeutic has been approved.

Generic schematic · not to scale · placeholder for the drug discovery front
Guide RNA library · Knockout → dependency

How it works

Donor cells are engineered or exosomes are loaded ex vivo with siRNA, protein or small molecules; surface proteins such as CD47 reduce clearance and can be modified for targeting.

Strengths
  • Low immunogenicity and long circulation
  • Crosses barriers that liposomes struggle with
  • Can carry nucleic acids that need protection
Limitations
  • Manufacturing scale and batch consistency
  • Low and variable drug loading
  • Biodistribution still favours liver and spleen

Latest papers

top
Latest papers · live from Europe PMC
Open in Europe PMC

Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Engineered exosomes as drug carriers" OR ABSTRACT:"Engineered exosomes as drug carriers") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Engineered exosomes as drug carriers, not a curated reading list.

Connected

10top

Pages like this

not linked directly; found by shared links