Extracellular vesicles transport RNA between cells: Unraveling their dual role in diagnostics and therapeutics.

Modern methods of molecular diagnostics and therapy have revolutionized the field of medicine in recent years by providing more precise and effective tools for detecting and treating diseases. This progress includes a growing exploration of the body's secreted vesicles, known as extracellular vesicles (EVs), for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. EVs are a heterogeneous population of lipid bilayer vesicles secreted by almost every cell type studied so far. They are detected in body fluids and conditioned culture media from living cells. EVs play a crucial role in communication between cells and organs, both locally and over long distances. They are recognized for their ability to transport endogenous RNA and proteins between cells, including messenger RNA (mRNA), microRNA (miRNA), misfolded neurodegenerative proteins, and several other biomolecules. This review explores the dual utilization of EVs, serving not only for diagnostic purposes but also as a platform for delivering therapeutic molecules to cells and tissues. Through an exploration of their composition, biogenesis, and selective cargo packaging, we elucidate the intricate mechanisms behind RNA transport between cells via EVs, highlighting their potential use for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Finally, it addresses challenges and outlines prospective directions for the clinical utilization of EVs.

In vivo phage display identifies novel peptides for cardiac targeting.

Heart failure remains a leading cause of mortality. Therapeutic intervention for heart failure would benefit from targeted delivery to the damaged heart tissue. Here, we applied in vivo peptide phage display coupled with high-throughput Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and identified peptides specifically targeting damaged cardiac tissue. We established a bioinformatics pipeline for the identification of cardiac targeting peptides. Hit peptides demonstrated preferential uptake by human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes and immortalized mouse HL1 cardiomyocytes, without substantial uptake in human liver HepG2 cells. These novel peptides hold promise for use in targeted drug delivery and regenerative strategies and open new avenues in cardiovascular research and clinical practice.