Nanomedicines based on RNA can theoretically be used for a large variety of therapeutic applications. Examples are treatment of cancer and vaccination against infectious diseases (such as COVID-19). Unfortunately, the clinical use of such medicines has so far remained limited because of significant challenges surrounding the delivery of RNA to the correct cells and organs.
Exosomes are small membrane-surrounded vesicles which are secreted by all cells in the body, and which are believed to transport biological cargoes, including RNA, from cell to cell. Because of this, exosomes are endowed with a number of features that can potentially be exploited for therapeutic RNA delivery. In this presentation I will discuss the possibilities, progress and current challenges in the applications of exosomes as RNA delivery systems.
Speaker: Sander Kooijmans, UMC Utrecht