Exosomes for mRNA delivery: a novel biotherapeutic strategy with hurdles and hope

Over the past decade, therapeutic messenger RNAs (mRNAs) have emerged as a highly promising new class of
drugs for protein replacement therapies. Due to the recent developments, the incorporation of modified
nucleotides in synthetic mRNAs can lead to maximizing protein expression and reducing adverse immunogenicity.
Despite these stunning improvements, mRNA therapy is limited by the need for the development of safe and
efficient carriers to protect the mRNA integrity for in vivo applications. Recently, leading candidates for in vivo drug
delivery vehicles are cell-derived exosomes, which have fewer immunogenic responses. In the current study, the
key hurdles facing mRNA-based therapeutics, with an emphasis on recent strategies to overcoming its
immunogenicity and instability, were highlighted. Then the immunogenicity and toxicity of exosomes derived from
various cell sources were mentioned in detail. Finally, an overview of the recent strategies in using exosomes for
mRNA delivery in the treatment of multiple diseases was stated