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Q&A: What Are Exosomes, Exactly?

Overview
Journal BMC Biol
Publisher Biomed Central
Specialty Biology
Date 2016 Jun 15
PMID 27296830
Citations 169
Authors
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Abstract

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles first described as such 30 years ago and since implicated in cell-cell communication and the transmission of disease states, and explored as a means of drug discovery. Yet fundamental questions about their biology remain unanswered. Here I explore what exosomes are, highlight the difficulties in studying them and explain the current definition and some of the outstanding issues in exosome biology.

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