Extracellular vesicle–mediated intercellular cargo transfer

Extracellular vesicle–mediated intercellular cargo transfer is a vital biological process in which cells release membrane-bound vesicles (exosomes, microvesicles) containing proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other bioactive cargoes. These vesicles are taken up by recipient cells, delivering their cargo to mediate diverse functions including modulation of gene expression, cell signaling, immune responses, and metabolic regulation. This process is implicated in a wide range of physiological and pathological contexts (including cancer progression, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, and infection) and has become a major focus for biomarker discovery and development of novel therapeutics, though it does not refer to a druggable molecular target itself.

Other names

EV-mediated cargo transferExtracellular vesicle communicationExosome-mediated signaling