Aethlon Medical Inc (AEMD)

[ANESRI]

Exosome-driven drug delivery

Vesicles secreted by the body's own cells could be used to effectively transport drugs to hard-to-reach places, such as the brain. In a study from Nature Biotechnology, researchers were able to harvest exosomes (vesicles secreted by a variety of cells to transport proteins in and out of cells) from mice, target them to brain cells by fusing proteins that bind to brain-cell receptors, and pack them with small interfering RNA molecules to silence BACE1, which plays a role in the formation of the myelin sheaths that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's diease. This proof-of-concept study suggests that exosomes may be useful in treating diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and muscular dystrophy, and according to BBC News, the researchers expect to begin trials in human patients within five years.