80 years of extracellular vesicles: from discovery to clinical translation
Qiang Li, Yinan Ding, Yejiao Shi, Chong Qiu, Lei Lei, ShengLong Li, Zheng Zhu, Judun Zheng, Cheng Qin, Kaiyuan Wang, Cheng Jiang, Ziyi Han, Lingyan Yang, Lang Zhang, Ping Li, Lingjun Tong, Duan Wang, Hong Xu, Bingyang Dai, Yangyang Du, Kaiyang Wang, Zhijin Fan, Wei (Vivian) Wang, Keying Guo, Yu Huang, Xia Wang, Bingdong Sui, Liang Wen, Feixiong Chen, Dechao Feng, Qin Xiang, Wenjun Mao, Jin Li, Chen Liu, Zhaoting Li, Yongfei Wang, Ru Huang, Rong Lu, Yulin Zhang, Ying Tian, Xiaolong Miao, Yuan Yin, Jun Zhang, Zhizeng Wang, Teng Ma, Haifeng Dong, Daixu Wei, Zhengyang Yang, Xiaohong Yang, Xiaoyu Cheng, Wojciech Chrzanowski, Zhigang Chang, Xudong Zhang, William C. Cho, Yang Luo, Weiliang Xia, Zhaohui Huang
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous, lipid bilayer-enclosed vesicles secreted by cells. Research on EVs dates back to the 1940s, and the term "exosomes" - a major subtype of EVs - was coined in 1981 to describe small membrane vesicles shed from cells. However, it is only in the past two decades that research in this area has expanded rapidly. By transferring functional biomolecules, EVs play a pivotal role in intercellular communication and regulate a wide range of cellular functions under both physiological and pathological conditions. Owing to their high biocompatibility, capacity to protect encapsulated cargo from degradation, and ability to cross biological barriers, EVs also show great promise as biomarkers and drug-delivery systems. Following the first, albeit unintentional, isolation of EVs in 1946, the 80th anniversary of EV research is now approaching. In this review, we trace the history of EV research and summarize key advances in the field. We also discuss current challenges and future prospects in this rapidly evolving area.