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Extracellular Vesicle-Based Theranostics in Cancer

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Extracellular vesicles (e.g., exosomes, microvesicles) play an important role as intercellular signal transmitters in the initiation and progression of various diseases, such as cancer. Recently, EVs have attracted much attention from scientists and clinicians as they exhibited great potential in liquid biopsy and drug delivery owing to their diverse contents and high biocompatibility. The development of methodology in this field not only brings hope to the theranostics of cancer but also largely facilitates our understanding of the EV-associated molecular mechanism involved in cancer pathogenesis.

However, convenient isolation and quantitative analysis of EVs are still challenging. Researchers always need to adapt traditional EV handling technologies according to the physical and chemical properties of the EV source fluid, the target molecule to be detected, and the aim of clinical research. The farraginous nanoparticles such as lipoprotein with similar size and density as EVs are hard to be removed in EV isolation and analysis, which largely limits our understanding of EVs. Hence, the development of new approaches in EV isolation and quantitation and their application in the diagnosis and treatment of cancerous diseases has become a hot topic during the past decade.

This topical collection focuses on the advances of EV-related studies and their contribution to both the diagnosis and the treatment of cancer. Studies that invented new technologies in EV isolation, quantification, and analysis and applied them in cancer diagnosis are encouraged. Papers that proposed new EV-based biomarkers in cancer diagnosis are also welcomed. Researches reveal the function of different EV subgroups in the tumor microenvironment and apply them to the bedside are especially welcome.

Keywords: Extracellular vesicle; Cancer; Gastroenterology; Diagnosis

Editors

  • Li Min Li Min

    Li Min

    Assc.Prof. Li Min, Capital Medical University, China. He is an associate professor at the Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, and the National Clinical Research Center of Digestive Diseases. He received Ph.D. training (2011–2016) at Peking University and Harvard University. After receiving his Ph.D. degree, he worked at Beijing Friendship Hospital as a full-time researcher (2016–2023) and Ph.D. supervisor (2021–2023). He focuses on the discovery of EV-based biomarkers for liquid biopsy in gastroenterology.

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