ABSTRACT
Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are derived from endosome membrane. They are usually 30–120 nm in diameter, actively secreted in most living cells. Exosomes are natural carriers for mRNA, lncRNA, miRNA, siRNA, protein, DNA and peptide for long-distance intercellular communication. Recent studies showed that exosomes can not only serve as biomarkers for diagnosis but can also be used as an ideal delivery vehicle for drugs in therapeutics. Isolation of exosomes is challenging due to their small size and heterogeneity. Traditional differential ultracentrifugation method is still the most reliable method for exosome purification. To further explore the potentials of exosomes being as the therapeutic delivery vehicle or diagnostic reagent, it is an essential step to purify them in high quality at high yield. Here, we review the recent progress on methods for exosome isolation and purification, focusing on the scalable method which can move into GMP production of exosomes for pharmaceutical applications. The recent progress on clinical trial for developing exosome- containing pharmaceutical products is also summarized.
