In humans, communication between cells takes place in several different ways. Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicle (30-200 nm in diameter) that also participate in this process. Exosome vesicles are secreted by almost every cell type studied so far, and they are detectable in many, perhaps all, biological fluids. In 2007, we discovered, for the first time, that exosomes also transport a cargo of RNA molecules (e.g. mRNA and miRNA) between cells (Valadi H. et al. Nature Cell Biology).

The goal of our studies is to understand how cells transmit RNA-molecules to each other via exosomes, and how to utilize this process for therapeutic purposes, e.g. by delivering therapeutic RNA molecules to cells in order to treat a particular disease.

Key publications

Linkage between endosomal escape of LNP-mRNA and loading into EVs for transport to other cells

Exosome-mediated transfer of mRNAs and microRNAs is a novel mechanism of genetic exchange between cells

Identification of RNA-binding proteins in exosomes capable of interacting with different types of RNA: RBP-facilitated transport of RNAs into exosomes

Plasma exosomes can deliver exogenous short interfering RNA to monocytes and lymphocytes