Convalescent serum-derived exosomes: Attractive niche as COVID-19 diagnostic tool and vehicle for mRNA delivery
Anand Krishnan, Prakash Gangadaran, Vivek P. Chavda, Manasi P. Jogalekar, Ramesh Muthusamy, Disha Valu, Chithravel Vadivalagan, Prasanna Ramani, A.I. Laishevtcev, Naresh Kumar Katari, Byeong‐Cheol Ahn
Abstract
The spread of SARS-CoV-2 over the entire world is more commonly known as COVID-19. COVID-19 has impacted society in every aspect of routine life. SARS-CoV-2 infection is often misdiagnosed as influenza or seasonal upper respiratory tract viral infections. General diagnostic tools can detect the viral antigen or isotypes of antibodies. However, inter- and intraindividual variations in antibody levels can cause false negatives in antibody immunoassays. On the contrary, the false-positive test results can also occur due to either cross-reactivity of the viral antigens or some other patient-related autoimmune factors. There is need for a cogent diagnostic tool with more specificity, selectivity, and reliability. Here, we have described the potential of convalescent serum-derived exosome as a diagnostic tool for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, even in asymptomatic patients, which is a limitation for currently practiced diagnostic tests throughout the globe. In addition, its potential as a vehicle for messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery is also emphasized.