Unlocking the Secrets of Neurodegenerative Disease with Extracellular Vesicles

Published on November 3, 2022

Imagine you’re Sherlock Holmes unraveling the mystery of neurodegenerative disease. You stumble upon a new clue—a tiny messenger called an extracellular vesicle (EV). These minuscule particles, released by cells, hold the key to understanding how these debilitating disorders develop and progress. Just like a courier delivering packages, EVs transport harmful proteins between neurons, contributing to the spread of disease. But here’s where it gets exciting: EVs have a special power—they can pass through biological barriers like the blood-brain barrier effortlessly! This opens up new possibilities for using them as biomarkers to diagnose conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and even as delivery vehicles for drugs directly to the brain. However, there’s still much we don’t know about EVs—how they’re formed, their different types, and how to isolate and analyze them effectively. To unlock their full potential, more research and advancements in identifying and harnessing EVs are needed. So put on your detective hat and explore the cutting-edge studies on this fascinating topic!

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) are becoming one of the leading causes of disability and death across the globe due to lack of timely preventions and treatments. Concurrently, intensive research efforts are being carried out to understand the etiology of these age-dependent disorders. Extracellular vesicles (EVs)—biological nanoparticles released by cells—are gaining tremendous attention in understanding their role in pathogenesis and progression of NDs. EVs have been found to transmit pathogenic proteins of NDs between neurons. Moreover, the ability of EVs to exquisitely surmount natural biological barriers, including blood-brain barrier and in vivo safety has generated interest in exploring them as potential biomarkers and function as natural delivery vehicles of drugs to the central nervous system. However, limited knowledge of EV biogenesis, their heterogeneity and lack of adequate isolation and analysis tools have hampered their therapeutic potential. In this review, we cover the recent advances in understanding the role of EVs in neurodegeneration and address their role as biomarkers and delivery vehicles to the brain.

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