Vesicle Celebrities
This Institut Curie scientist’s expertise helped to shape the EV research playbook
Who is Clotidle Théry?
This sticks to plasma-derived EVs like glitter after a craft project.
What is albumin?
At 10–20 μm, these behemoths make an exosome look like it needs a booster seat.
What are blebbisomes?
These four-pass EV membrane proteins like to bend it like Beckham
What are tetraspanins?
Cancer invasion → membrane trafficking → EV secretion → RNA cargo sorting → Center Director
Who is Alissa Weaver?
The pioneer of the EV field caught the MVB escape route in action.
Who is Phil Stahl?
Like a mom's death grip on her kid's hand, RBPs corral this cargo into the right package
What is RNA?
Where dying cells put out the trash
What are apoptotic bodies?
This piratous ne'er do well will hijack EV biogenesis machinery to sneak past the immune system.
What is a virus?
Live-cell imaging → cardiac myocytes → actomyosin → bubbling cells → “Wait…is that thing actually moving?”
Who is Dylan Burnette?
Glioblastomas tried smuggling RNA messages in EVs; she nabbed them red-handed in the blood.
Who is Xandra Breakefield?
Attaching this “baggage claim ticket” to cargo can route it through endosomal sorting and into ILVs
What is ubiquitin?
These cellular Energizer bunnies are seen in the largest types of EVs, though often in damaged condition.
What are mitochondria?
Getting therapeutic EVs past this organ is like sneaking cookies past a hungry toddler.
What is the liver?
iPSCs → BBB modeling → neural progenitors → astrocytes → therapeutic EV engineering
Who is Ethan Lippmann?
This scientist discovered that tumor EVs come with integrin “zip codes” that help lead where metastases set up shop.
Who is David Lyden?
Like stolen goods on the roof of a getaway car, some cargo travel in plain view on this outer layer of EVs.
What is the corona?
These large vesicles form on retraction fibers lagging behind cells on the move.
What are migrasomes?
This sticks to plasma-derived EVs like glitter after a craft project.
What is albumin?
Genome engineering → kidney regeneration → urine-derived stem cells → kidney organoids → “Maybe we don’t need the whole stem cell?”
Who is Lauren Woodard?
In 1996, this scientist rescued exosomes from their trashy reputation by showing they could function in antigen presentation.
Who is Grace Raposo?
Tumor-derived EVs transfer cargo that confers this drug-defying superpower.
What is chemoresistance?
Cancer cells doing the amoeboid migration boogie tend to leave these on the dance floor.
What are Oncosomes?
Autophagy by day, EV baggage handler by night: this lipidated protein helps load RBPs and RNAs through LDELS
What is LC3?
Triple-negative breast cancer → Annexin A6 → calcium signaling → drug resistance → EV-mediated metastasis
Who is Amos Sakwe?