Therapeutic potential of engineered extracellular vesicles in osteoarthritis

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound nanoparticles secreted by cells and have emerged as promising therapeutic agents for osteoarthritis (OA).

These vesicles exhibit high biocompatibility and the intrinsic ability to traverse physiologic barriers, delivering bioactive molecular cargo to recipient cells to exert regulatory effects. To enhance therapeutic efficacy, EVs can be bioengineered to improve biological activity and targeting capacity toward specific cells or tissues. Strategies for EV engineering primarily involve modifications to cargo, membranes, or the pretreatment of parental cells. In recent years advances in EV engineering have led to growing interest in the application of engineered EVs for OA treatment, offering new possibilities for clinical translation. This review summarizes the fundamental characteristics of EVs and examine the factors limiting the current therapeutic efficacy in OA.

An overview of existing engineering strategies and a discussion of the therapeutic applications of engineered EVs in OA models is also provided. Finally the remaining challenges and future directions necessary to advance EV-based therapies toward clinical use in OA are outlined.