bims-exocan 2026-06-14 papers

Issue of 2026–06–14
five papers selected by
Muhammad Rizwan, COMSATS University

Cancers (Basel). 2026 May 22. pii: 1690. [Epub ahead of print]18(11):

Potential Role of Exosomes in the Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Ovarian Cancer.

Anna Markowska, Michał Antoszczak, Janina Markowska, Adam Huczyński.

Ovarian cancer (OC) remains one of the most lethal gynaecological malignancies, which is mainly due to late diagnosis, high frequency of metastasis, and the risk of developing resistance to systemic therapy. In recent years, exosomes-small extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by cancer cells and components of the tumour microenvironment (TME)-have been identified as potential mediators of OC progression. Exosomes participate in intercellular communication and enable the transfer of RNA, proteins, and lipids. These vesicles may modulate the immune response, promote angiogenesis, remodel the extracellular matrix, and drive epithelial-mesenchymal transitions. Exosomes also appear to play a role in the development of drug resistance via direct transfer of resistance factors or indirect modification of TME. In this review article, we summarise current knowledge on the biological role of exosomes in OC pathogenesis. We also discuss their possible diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic relevance. The properties and composition of exosomes make them promising noninvasive liquid biomarkers and convenient carriers for anticancer drugs. However, to fully exploit their potential, further large-scale preclinical and clinical studies are required, which should focus primarily on standardising research methods and assessing the safety and efficacy of exosome-based diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

Keywords: cancer pathogenesis; exosomes; in vitro; in vivo; liquid biomarkers; nanodelivery systems; ovarian cancer

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18111690

J Natl Cancer Cent. 2026 Jun;6(3): 234-249

Extracellular vesicles in prostate cancer: current understanding and future perspectives.

Balaji Perumalsamy, Parthasarathy Seshacharyulu, Raghupathy Vengoji, Nicole Shonka, Benjamin A Teply, Surinder K Batra, Sakthivel Muniyan.

Exosomes are nanoscale, lipid bilayer extracellular vesicles (EVs) actively secreted by cells under both physiological and pathological conditions. As key mediators of intercellular communication, exosomes carry a diverse array of molecular cargo, including nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and metabolites, which can influence the function of recipient cells. Based on evidence from 2016-2025 across PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.org, this review consolidates current understanding of exosome biology in prostate cancer (PCa). We discuss exosome biogenesis, molecular cargo composition, and their functional roles in tumor progression, angiogenesis, immune evasion, metastasis, and therapy resistance of PCa. We emphasize the biomarker potential of exosomes, which can overcome the limitations of PSA, such as poor specificity and overdiagnosis. Unlike free-circulating molecules, the exosomal lipid bilayer protects its cargo from enzymatic degradation, thereby stabilizing prostate-specific markers such as AR-V7, PCA3, ERG mRNAs, PSMA protein, and other microRNAs. Furthermore, we highlight that exosomes derived from urine and prostatic secretions could serve as promising biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring therapeutic response (via longitudinal sampling) due to the prostate's anatomical proximity to these fluids. Despite this wealth of information, significant challenges in standardized isolation techniques and clinical application due to tumor heterogeneity remain. This review also aims to bridge existing gaps and provide future prospectives toward hybrid isolation techniques, cell-specific exosome profiling, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven multi-omics data integration to leverage exosome biology and address PCa-specific biomarkers and heterogeneity, thereby improving patient outcomes.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Exosomes; Prostate cancer; Resistance; Therapeutic target; Tumor microenvironment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jncc.2026.03.004

Pathol Res Pract. 2026 Jun 06. pii: S0344-0338(26)00232-3. [Epub ahead of print]286 156579

Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles: From biogenesis and molecular composition to translational therapeutics.

Sameer M Sheikh, Ujban Md Hussain, Satish S Meshram, Harekrishna Yadav, Abhaysingh D Deshmukh, Shrushti P Dhakare, Veena Belgamwar, Satyendra K Prasad.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as vital mediators of cell-to-cell communication in cancer. Tumor-derived EVs (TD-EVs) actively remodel the tumor microenvironment (TME) by transferring a complex cargo of oncogenic proteins, regulatory RNAs, lipids, and metabolites, thereby influencing tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and immune modulation. This review explains the biogenesis pathways and molecular composition of TD-EVs, highlighting how endosomal sorting complexes, Rab GTPases, tetraspanins, and lipid metabolism collectively determine vesicle release and functional specificity. Comparative analyses of proteomic, transcriptomic, and lipidomic profiles reveal that TD-EVs carry tumor-specific signatures that can serve as non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Mechanistic insights emphasize the crosstalk between tumor and stromal cells mediated by EVs, which reprogram fibroblasts, immune cells, and endothelial cells toward pro-tumorigenic phenotypes. Advances in EV engineering, encompassing surface modification, cargo loading, and hybrid synthetic vesicle design, have expanded their role as nanocarriers for targeted drug and gene delivery. In addition, EV imaging and tracking innovations such as fluorescence labeling, magnetic resonance-based probes, and bioluminescent reporters enable real-time in vivo visualization and biodistribution analysis. This review critically evaluates emerging preclinical models and early-phase clinical applications of EV-based nanotherapeutics, while explicitly addressing the rigorous translational bottlenecks, such as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) scalability, pharmacokinetic unpredictability, and inherent biological heterogeneity, that currently impede their progression into routine clinical use. The findings position TD-EVs as both critical regulators of tumor biology and versatile platforms for precision cancer therapy, bridging molecular oncology with next-generation nanomedicine.

Keywords: Drug Delivery Systems; Exosome Engineering; Extracellular Vesicles (EVs); Nanomedicine; Precision Medicine; Targeted Therapy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prp.2026.156579

Biofabrication. 2026 Jun 09.

CAR-T Cell-Derived Exosomes and Cancer Immunotherapy: Advancing Production and Delivery Through Biofabrication.

Mahmood Razzaghi, Mohammad Hossein Karimi, Jamshid Hadjati, Colin Collins, Mohsen Akbari.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has transformed the treatment of hematologic malignancies, but it still faces some major barriers in solid tumors because of poor infiltration, the immunosuppressive microenvironment, and sometimes severe toxicities. The CAR-T cellderived exosomes (CAR-T-EXOs) have been emerging as safer and more scalable acellular alternatives that can preserve the tumor-specific CAR recognition and cytotoxic effect or functions, while avoiding the cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity issues. These nanosized vesicles can penetrate the dense tumor stroma and reprogram the immunosuppressive niches more effectively than the cellular therapies. The recent advances in biofabrication are now enabling the high-yield production, functional validation, and more precise delivery of CAR-T-EXOs. The biofabricated models, including the three-dimensional (3D) spheroids, organoids, bioprinted constructs, and tumor-on-chip systems, offer more physiologically relevant platforms for evaluating exosome trafficking and efficacy. Meanwhile, smart delivery systems such as stimuli-responsive hydrogels, nanofiber scaffolds, and hybrid nanovesicles provide spatiotemporal control over the exosome release. Despite all this promise, the clinical translation is still hindered by the variability in isolation methods, characterization procedures, and the regulatory frameworks. This review tries to integrate immunology, bioengineering, and translational perspectives to outline the biological advantages of the CAR-T-EXOs, to survey the latest biofabrication strategies, and to discuss the regulatory challenges. We also highlight some emerging paradigms, like exosome mimetics, nanorobotics, and personalized tumor-on-chip testing, that are likely to speed up the next generation of safer and more effective exosome-based immunotherapies for solid tumors.

Keywords: Biofabrication; CAR-T Cell-Derived Exosomes; CAR-T Cell-Derived Exosomes Biofabrication Exosome Delivery Systems Cancer Immunotherapy Cancer Models Solid Tumor Advanced ther; Cancer Immunotherapy; Cancer Models; Exosome Delivery Systems; Solid Tumor Advanced therapy medicinal products

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ae7b0b

Cancer Cell Int. 2026 Jun 08.

Exosomes liquid biopsy in Lymphoma precision medicine: applications and challenges.

Junxi Liu, Yu Peng, Yakun Zhang, Huiyu Xiang, Yu Lu, Shuang Chen, Can Lin, Tingting Jiang, Xinyi Tang, Yao Liu, Zailin Yang.

Liquid biopsy is an emerging non-invasive detection technology that diagnoses tumors and provides prognostic value by analyzing samples such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and exosomes. Exosomes are nanoscale extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by cells, encapsulating a diverse array of biomolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids (e.g., mRNA and miRNA), and lipids. Lymphoma cells secrete various exosomes, whose contents carry abundant tumor-associated information and serve as messengers in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Consequently, tumor-derived exosomes can provide a broader picture of lymphoma, serving as promising biomarkers for liquid biopsy. They contribute to diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic response evaluation, and medication guidance in lymphoma precision medicine. With further research, exosome-based liquid biopsy has the potential to enhance patients' quality of life. This review summarizes the application of exosome-based liquid biopsy in lymphoma and its underlying mechanisms within the TME, emphasizing the promising opportunities this technique presents for medical research.

Keywords: Application; Exosomes; Liquid biopsy; Lymphoma

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12935-026-04357-5