Extracellular vesicles (EVs) include exosomes and microvesicles are shed from various cells. EVs express antigens and genetic molecules characteristic of their parent cells and play a central role in intercellular communication by transferring their "cargo" to target cells.
In recent years, our lab has contributed substantially to the field of research related to EVs. We exploring their various roles in the pathophysiology of pregnancy related complications, hematological malignancies (myeloma, AML), chronic graft vs. host disease (cGVHD), solid tumors such as breast, colon, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors, congenital disorders like thalassemia, and dementia. We have also explored the effects of EVs that are shed from cell culture upon stimulation on target cells functions.
Another area of our research focuses on the therapeutic potential of EVs, as we have made significant progress in our study investigating the use of EVs derived from CAR-T cells as a potential therapy for cancer.
In these studies, we demonstrated that EVs affect and reflect disease dynamics, and may be used not only for diagnosis and monitoring of therapy, but also as a mainstay of treatment.