Exosome-Inspired Nanovesicles for Drug Delivery: Emerging Strategies, Applications, and Future Perspectives
Abstract
Exosomes are naturally secreted extracellular vesicles (30–150 nm) with unique potential as drug delivery vehicles due to their biocompatibility, stability, and innate targeting ability. However, clinical application of natural exosomes remains limited by challenges in scalability, heterogeneity, and regulatory approval. To overcome these limitations, researchers have developed exosome-inspired nanovesicles (EINVs), which replicate exosomal structure and functionality while offering controllability, reproducibility, and scalability. EINVs can be fabricated using top-down (cell-derived), bottom-up (synthetic), or hybrid approaches, and can be engineered to deliver therapeutic cargo such as small molecules, nucleic acids, proteins, and vaccines. This review provides a detailed overview of EINVs, including their types, fabrication methods, cargo-loading strategies, therapeutic applications, and comparative advantages over natural exosomes. We also discuss challenges in reproducibility, immunogenicity, and regulatory pathways, before highlighting future research directions needed for clinical translation.
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