Abstract

Emerging Applications of Extracellular Vesicles in Medicine

Jan Lötvall, Professor/Chairman, University of Gothenburg

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released by all cells in the human body, and can reflect the status and function of the releasing cell. Further, EVs can shuttle cargo molecules from one cell to another, including proteins and RNA. The human body is exceptionally rich in EVs, and it has over the last ten years been acknowledge that the phenotype of these vesicles change in disease, and that EVs indeed can be utilized for diagnostic purposes, for example in cancer. Further, the functionality of EVs can in multiple ways be harnessed for the development of future biological medications. This presentation will discuss the diversity of EVs isolated from human tissues, and will also touch upon the opportunities of developing EVs as powerful therapeutics.