Exosomes: From villains to heroes

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From villains to heroes

Exosomes are tiny structures that form inside cells and, despite having a "bad" reputation for causing many diseases, they are now being investigated as a possible channel for delivering drugs, treating diseases, and creating treatments. This is one of the research lines of the Femsa Biotechnology Center of the Tec de Monterrey. In the image, Andrea L. Tapia, PhD student in Biotechnology.
Photos: Udell Jiménez

When they were discovered in the 1980s, it was thought that exosomes were just a medium for cellular communication. Over the past decade, it has been proven that they play an important role in conveying proteins, lipids, mRNA, miRNA, and DNA. Biotechnology PhD student Abril Torres Bautista uses ultracentrifugation to transfer exosomes and work on them to benefit people’s health.

Many types of cells, such as cancer cells, release exosomes into the blood to travel to other parts of the body. Their aim is to ensure that the recipient organs are ready to receive the malignant cells and make them proliferate by triggering reactions such as inflammation. In contrast, it has been possible to extract exosomes from the growth of corns for use in curative treatments, as in this photo.

Researchers from the FEMSA Biotechnology Center (CBF) at Tec de Monterrey such as former CBF director José González and Biotechnology PhD student Andrea L. Tapia are attempting to modify the molecules of exosomes and change the message they share between cells, opening a channel for delivering drugs to cells or specific tissues.

A dozen researchers (including undergraduate and graduate students at Tec de Monterrey such as Biotechnology PhD student Andrés Omar Martínez Santillán) are working together on not only developing applications for exosomes but also purifying and streamlining the process for obtaining and using them.

Biotechnology PhD student Abril Torres is researching the use of exosomes obtained from bone marrow stem cells to create medicines for alopecia.

Thanks to research and technology, exosomes can now be used for health benefits as a natural carrier, unlike artificially synthesized polymers. In this case, exosomes are separated from other cellular fragments and contaminants by ultracentrifugation.

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Exosomes

Microscopic image of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) crystals taken with an optical microscope and polarized light. All images were taken by Inés Gutiérrez Jaber, a.k.a Cirrina Lab.

A second microscopic image of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) crystals taken with an optical microscope and polarized light. All images were taken by Inés Gutiérrez Jaber, a.k.a Cirrina Lab.

A third microscopic image of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) crystals taken with an optical microscope and polarized light.

Microscopic image of liquid crystals [N-(-4-Methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline] taken with an optical microscope and polarized light.

Microscopic image of Daphnia, a genus of microscopic animals known as water fleas. Taken with darkfield microscopy.

Microscopic image of Hydra, a genus of microscopic animals know go be biologically inmortal. Taken with darkfield microscopy.

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