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Exosomes (Exos), as delivery carriers, are widely used in cancer immunotherapy because of their good biocompatibility, low toxicity, and low immunogenicity. Alfa Cytology provides high-quality exosome-based delivery system development services to help our clients with cancer vaccine development.
Fig. 1 The biogenesis and composition of Exos.
Exos, one of the drug delivery vectors, are 40-160 nm-sized extracellular vesicles secreted by living cells and can be found in different types of biological fluids, such as serum, saliva, and urine. They have many advantages such as small size, good biocompatibility, low toxicity, and low immunogenicity. Therefore, exos are considered a promising delivery carrier. Here are some of the advantages of exosomes as a delivery system for cancer vaccines.
Protection and Ease of Design
Exos can protect cancer loads from degradation, thereby increasing their cycle time and targeting ability. Exos can be easily engineered to improve drug delivery capabilities and tissue-specific targeting.
Homing Effects
Exos can inherit the characteristics of the mother cell, acquiring some components of the mother cell, such as proteins which may give them homing effects and the ability to activate immune responses.
Ease of Delivery
Exos contains transmembrane proteins and membrane anchoring proteins that enhance the endocytosis of target cells and facilitate the transport of their internal contents.
Most cells can produce exosomes, but depending on the cell, the exosomes produced have different properties and contents. As the carrier of cancer vaccines, exosomes derived from immune cells are used more frequently. Targeting different customer needs, Alfa Cytology provides diversified exosome-based delivery systems development services. According to the immune cell, we provide services that include, but are not limited to, the following table.
| Cell Types | Description |
| DCs-derived Exos (DEXs) | DC is a classic APC that stimulates specific antigenic immune responses. DEXs mainly contain MHC-I, MHC-II, co-stimulatory molecules (CD80 and CD86), heat shock proteins (HSP70 and HSP90), and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1). It is a widely used immune cell source carrier. They can activate T cells to kill cancer cells through direct binding of MHC-peptide complexes and co-stimulatory molecules to T cell receptors (TCRS). |
| NK Cells-derived Exos | NK cell-derived Exos can significantly activate the caspase death pathway through killer proteins, thereby inducing tumor cell apoptosis. In addition, they may carry cancer-suppressing miRNAs, such as miR-186, which inhibit tumor growth and TGFβ1-dependent immune escape. |
| Macrophage-derived Exos | M1 phenotype macrophage-derived Exos (M1-EXOS) can activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and enhance the cytotoxicity of T and NK cells, thereby inhibiting tumor growth. In addition, they up-regulate miRNA expression and address inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB and TLR signaling pathways. |
| B Lymphocytes derived−Exos | B-lymphocyte-derived -Exos contain CD19, B-cell-specific markers, and immunogenic molecules that stimulate T lymphocyte proliferation and activation. |
| T Cell-derived Exos | T cell-derived Exos express TCR, adhesion factors, and various markers. Exos secreted by T cells of different phenotypes have different regulatory effects on immune cells and non-immune cells. |
| Other Immune Cell-derived Exos | Other exosomes, including neutrophil-derived Exos, mast cell-derived Exos, eosinophilic-derived Exos, and bone marrow-derived suppressor cell-derived Exos, also show important roles in the immune microenvironment, participating in immune regulation, inflammatory response, and intercellular communication. |
We have extensive experience in the field of cancer vaccine development.
We have advanced laboratory facilities and technology platforms.
We can provide customized solutions based on specific customer needs and project objectives.
We are committed to providing high-quality research results and reliable data support.
Exos are recognized as a promising delivery system. Alfa Cytology is committed to developing all kinds of cancer vaccine delivery systems and has in-depth and extensive preclinical experience. If you are interested in our service, please feel free to contact us for more details.