Extracellular vesicles as diagnostic and therapeutic tools for kidney diseases

Speaker

• Benedetta Bussolati
  Dept. of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous vesicles containing active proteins, lipids, and different types of genetic material such as miRNAs, mRNAs, and DNAs related to the characteristics of the originating cell. Increasing evidence has now established a central role of EVs in renal physiology and pathology. EVs mediate cross-talk between glomerular and tubular cells, and among different tubular segments, and subsequently, the molecular profile of EVs collected in the urine might be exploited for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Moreover, several reports provide convincing evidence of the regenerative potential of EVs released by stem cells and, in particular, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in different kidney injury models. Besides, the therapeutic use of MSC-EVs in clinical trials is under investigation. The results of the pre-clinical applications of stem cell bio-products in models of renal tissue injury and the mechanisms involved will be presented, as well as the first clinical trials approaching administration of extracellular vesicles in human subjects. Strategies to further increase EV activity are in study, engineering their cargo while exploiting their biocompatibility.