Engineered and Artificial Exosomes for Non-viral Drug Delivery Nanocarriers
摘要
This chapter overviews the expanding field of engineered and artificial exosomes as cutting-edge non-viral drug delivery nanoparticles. Exosomes are expected to be natural carriers for drug delivery systems and clinical trials are in progress for several exosome-based nanomedicines. While therapeutic potential of exosomes has been demonstrated, several challenges must be overcome for practical applications including the need for: scalable manufacturing, standardization, and efficient drug loading. To overcome them, various methodologies have been developed for the production of engineered and artificial exosomes through bioengineering and micro/nanobiotechnology, thereby presenting a promising solution to the limitations of natural exosomes. In this chapter, various production methods are discussed, including: top-down, bottom-up, and biohybrid methodologies; drug-loading techniques; and membrane fusion methods for engineered exosome production. Furthermore, this chapter highlights the use of microfluidic devices in the production of artificial exosomes and presents a novel approach for the precise control of particle size and composition. Utilizing nanotechnology, molecular biology, and pharmacology, engineered and artificial exosomes allow the development of novel non-viral drug delivery systems by improving biocompatibility, increasing specificity, and expanding payload capacity.