BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Vesicular fuel

Exosomes may reawaken breast cancer by transmitting mitochondrial DNA

November 9, 2017 11:59 PM UTC

A study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has shown for the first time that fibroblasts can cause drug resistance by revving up the metabolism of dormant cancer cells. But the authors’ proposal that exosomes carrying mitochondrial DNA underlie the mechanism has met preliminary skepticism from some in the field.

If true, however, the findings would ascribe an entirely new function to exosomes, which are emerging as a new modality in drug discovery for their potential to act as delivery vehicles in cancer and other diseases. ...