Extracellular vesicles as a promising platform of precision medicine in liver cancer

Keyang Xu; Qibiao Wu; Zhao Lingyun; Romario Nguyen; Fatema Safri; William Yang; Yikun Xu; Yun Ye; Hiu Yee Kwan; Qiang Wang; Xiuming Liang; Muhammad J A Shiddiky; Majid E Warkiani; Jacob George; Liang Qiao; Jianfeng Bao

doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2025.107800

Extracellular vesicles as a promising platform of precision medicine in liver cancer

Pharmacol Res. 2025 Jul:217:107800. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2025.107800. Epub 2025 May 24.

Authors

Keyang Xu¹, Qibiao Wu¹, Zhao Lingyun¹, Romario Nguyen², Fatema Safri², William Yang², Yikun Xu², Yun Ye³, Hiu Yee Kwan³, Qiang Wang⁴, Xiuming Liang⁵, Muhammad J A Shiddiky⁶, Majid E Warkiani⁷, Jacob George⁸, Liang Qiao⁹, Jianfeng Bao¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Chinese Medicine, and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, 999078, Macao.
² Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, the University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
³ Centre for Cancer & Inflammation Research, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong.
⁴ Division of Medical Imaging and Technology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁵ Biomolecular Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁶ Rural Health Research Institute (RHRI), Charles Sturt University, Orange NSW 2800, Australia.
⁷ School of Biomedical Engineering, the University of Technology Sydney Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
⁸ Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, the University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia. Electronic address: jacob.george@sydney.edu.au.
⁹ Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, the University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia. Electronic address: liang.qiao@sydney.edu.au.
¹⁰ Hangzhou Xixi Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: zjbjf1972@aliyun.com.

PMID: 40419123
DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2025.107800

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are natural carriers of biological information and play pivotal roles in intercellular communication. EVs are biocompatible, have low immunogenicity, and are capable of traversing biological barriers, making them ideal tools for disease diagnosis and therapy. Despite their promising prospects, the full realization of EVs potential faces several challenges. This article aims to comprehensively review the biological and molecular features of EVs, their applications in liver cancer and possible underlying mechanisms, and the critical challenges affecting the clinical translation of EVs-based therapies in liver cancer.

Keywords: Extracellular vesicles (EVs); Liver cancer; Organoids; Standardization; Therapeutic tools.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Extracellular Vesicles* / metabolism
Extracellular Vesicles* / transplantation
Humans
Liver Neoplasms* / metabolism
Liver Neoplasms* / pathology
Liver Neoplasms* / therapy
Precision Medicine* / methods