Indeeba Clinic

Exosome Therapy

What is Stem Cell Exosome?

There are tiny vesicles called "exosomes" inside and outside stem cells. Exosomes were discovered in 1983 and have been studied in the field of life sciences. This has shown associations with various physiological functions and disease onset. In the medical field, they are already applied to new diagnostic methods using body fluids, and future applications in regenerative medicine are expected.

Exosome Therapy

Mechanism of Stem Cell Exosome

There are tiny vesicles called "exosomes" inside and outside stem cells. Exosomes were discovered in 1983 and have been studied in the field of life sciences. In 1996, it was discovered that exosomes have the function of transporting substances to other cells, and in 2007, it was revealed that exosomes contain a large amount of genetic replication information (microRNA). This microRNA contains important information, and this information is considered the key to the effects of stem cells. Additionally, exosomes function as intercellular communication and messaging tools.

According to research from UC San Diego, "stem cells show similar pharmacological effects even if they are denucleated," suggesting that the pharmacological action of stem cells lies in extracellular vesicles (EVs) such as exosomes. Furthermore, exosomes are natural from cells and are already present in large quantities in the human body, so they have fewer side effects. This recognizes the superiority of exosomes compared to cell therapy. In the medical field, they are already applied to new diagnostic methods using body fluids, and future applications in regenerative medicine are expected.

MSC Exosome Therapy

Recent studies have shown that exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play an important role in the mechanism of MSC cell therapy effects, as demonstrated in many papers [1,2,3,4,5].

The advantages of stem cell therapy include clear risks in terms of safety and efficacy, and a clear path to clinical application due to well-established regulations.

MSC Exosome Therapy

Benefits and Drawbacks of Exosomes Compared to Stem Cell Therapy

Benefits

  • Exosomes are separated and purified components of cell secretions, so there is no risk of treatment effects varying depending on the local environment of the administered cells as in cell therapy.

  • The size of exosomes is smaller than cells, theoretically reducing the possibility of embolism.

  • Smooth transition to target tissues.

  • Compared to cell therapy, multiple administrations are possible.
    Exosomes can be easily quantified and measured by particle number.

Drawbacks

  • Much more cells are required compared to the number of cells needed for cell therapy.

  • Quality control and manufacturing management are not yet standardized.

References

  1. Allan D, Tieu A, Lalu M, Burger D. Mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles for regenerative therapy and immune modulation: Progress and challenges toward clinical application. Stem Cells Transl Med 2020; 9(1):39-46.
  2. Rohde E, Pachler K, Gimona M. Manufacturing and characterization of extracellular vesicles from umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells for clinical testing. Cytotherapy 2019; 21(6):581-592.
  3. Witwer KW, Van Balkom BWM, Bruno S, Choo A, Dominici M, Gimona M, et al. Defining mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived small extracellular vesicles for therapeutic applications. J Extracell Vesicles 2019; 8(1):1609206
  4. Elahi FM, Farwell DG, Nolta JA, Anderson JD. Preclinical translation of exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem/stromal cells. Stem Cells 2020; 38(1):15-21.
  5. Tsuchiya A, Takeuchi S, Watanabe T, Yoshida T, Nojiri S, Ogawa M, et al. Mesenchymal stem cell therapies for liver cirrhosis: MSCs as “conducting cells” for improvement of liver fibrosis and regeneration. Inflamm Regen 2019; 39:18.

If you are considering Exosome Therapy,
please contact us first.
We will provide detailed guidance and explanations about the treatment.

Contact us here