Opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell‐free synthetic biology
Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid‐membrane nanoparticles that are shed or secreted by many different cell types. The EV research community has rapidly expanded in recent years and is leading efforts to deepen our understanding of EV biological functions in human physiology and patholog...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Extracellular Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/jex2.90 |
| _version_ | 1797766972469936128 |
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| author | Richard J. R. Kelwick Alexander J. Webb Amelie Heliot Clara Tresserras Segura Paul S. Freemont |
| author_facet | Richard J. R. Kelwick Alexander J. Webb Amelie Heliot Clara Tresserras Segura Paul S. Freemont |
| author_sort | Richard J. R. Kelwick |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid‐membrane nanoparticles that are shed or secreted by many different cell types. The EV research community has rapidly expanded in recent years and is leading efforts to deepen our understanding of EV biological functions in human physiology and pathology. These insights are also providing a foundation on which future EV‐based diagnostics and therapeutics are poised to positively impact human health. However, current limitations in our understanding of EV heterogeneity, cargo loading mechanisms and the nascent development of EV metrology are all areas that have been identified as important scientific challenges. The field of synthetic biology is also contending with the challenge of understanding biological complexity as it seeks to combine multidisciplinary scientific knowledge with engineering principles, to build useful and robust biotechnologies in a responsible manner. Within this context, cell‐free systems have emerged as a powerful suite of in vitro biotechnologies that can be employed to interrogate fundamental biological mechanisms, including the study of aspects of EV biogenesis, or to act as a platform technology for medical biosensors and therapeutic biomanufacturing. Cell‐free gene expression (CFE) systems also enable in vitro protein production, including membrane proteins, and could conceivably be exploited to rationally engineer, or manufacture, EVs loaded with bespoke molecular cargoes for use in foundational or translational EV research. Our pilot data herein, also demonstrates the feasibility of cell‐free EV engineering. In this perspective, we discuss the opportunities and challenges for accelerating EV research and healthcare applications with cell‐free synthetic biology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:32:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f142b92ffd347f7b88edb00369da744 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2768-2811 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:32:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Extracellular Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f142b92ffd347f7b88edb00369da7442023-08-01T19:00:31ZengWileyJournal of Extracellular Biology2768-28112023-05-0125n/an/a10.1002/jex2.90Opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell‐free synthetic biologyRichard J. R. Kelwick0Alexander J. Webb1Amelie Heliot2Clara Tresserras Segura3Paul S. Freemont4Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology Department of Infectious Disease Imperial College London London UKSection of Structural and Synthetic Biology Department of Infectious Disease Imperial College London London UKSection of Structural and Synthetic Biology Department of Infectious Disease Imperial College London London UKDepartment of Metabolism Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London London UKSection of Structural and Synthetic Biology Department of Infectious Disease Imperial College London London UKAbstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid‐membrane nanoparticles that are shed or secreted by many different cell types. The EV research community has rapidly expanded in recent years and is leading efforts to deepen our understanding of EV biological functions in human physiology and pathology. These insights are also providing a foundation on which future EV‐based diagnostics and therapeutics are poised to positively impact human health. However, current limitations in our understanding of EV heterogeneity, cargo loading mechanisms and the nascent development of EV metrology are all areas that have been identified as important scientific challenges. The field of synthetic biology is also contending with the challenge of understanding biological complexity as it seeks to combine multidisciplinary scientific knowledge with engineering principles, to build useful and robust biotechnologies in a responsible manner. Within this context, cell‐free systems have emerged as a powerful suite of in vitro biotechnologies that can be employed to interrogate fundamental biological mechanisms, including the study of aspects of EV biogenesis, or to act as a platform technology for medical biosensors and therapeutic biomanufacturing. Cell‐free gene expression (CFE) systems also enable in vitro protein production, including membrane proteins, and could conceivably be exploited to rationally engineer, or manufacture, EVs loaded with bespoke molecular cargoes for use in foundational or translational EV research. Our pilot data herein, also demonstrates the feasibility of cell‐free EV engineering. In this perspective, we discuss the opportunities and challenges for accelerating EV research and healthcare applications with cell‐free synthetic biology.https://doi.org/10.1002/jex2.90cell‐free synthetic biologydiagnosticsEV mimeticsexosomesextracellular vesiclestherapeutics |
| spellingShingle | Richard J. R. Kelwick Alexander J. Webb Amelie Heliot Clara Tresserras Segura Paul S. Freemont Opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell‐free synthetic biology Journal of Extracellular Biology cell‐free synthetic biology diagnostics EV mimetics exosomes extracellular vesicles therapeutics |
| title | Opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell‐free synthetic biology |
| title_full | Opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell‐free synthetic biology |
| title_fullStr | Opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell‐free synthetic biology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell‐free synthetic biology |
| title_short | Opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell‐free synthetic biology |
| title_sort | opportunities to accelerate extracellular vesicle research with cell free synthetic biology |
| topic | cell‐free synthetic biology diagnostics EV mimetics exosomes extracellular vesicles therapeutics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/jex2.90 |
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