Abstract

Exosome Engineering for Delivery of Cytosolic Proteins: Principles and Therapeutic Applications

Chulhee Choi, Professor, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST); President, ILIAS Biologics Incorporated

Our group has recently developed an opto-genetically engineered exosome system, named ‘exosomes for protein loading via optically reversible protein–protein interaction” (EXPLOR) that can deliver soluble proteins into the cytosol of target cells via controlled, reversible protein–protein interactions (PPI). By integrating a reversible PPI module controlled by specific wavelength of light with the endogenous process of exosome biogenesis, cargo proteins of our interest can be loaded into newly generated exosomes. Protein-loaded exosomes were shown to significantly increase intracellular levels of cargo proteins and their function in recipient cells in both a time- and dose-dependent manner. In this presentation, I will introduce the basic principles of EXPLOR technology and follow-up studies for therapeutic applications including sepsis.