BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Exosomes in the zone

Academia and industry agree that exosomes are ready for prime time

October 13, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

Having had a slow on-ramp to recognition as more than cellular garbage bags, exosomes are gaining status as a potentially transformational technology, with utility in both diagnostics and therapeutics. But the field still has a lag time to reach full speed, as it grapples with CMC hurdles such scale-up, consistency and efficient purification. The newfound interest is underscored by growing activity in both the commercial and academic communities, despite the fact the existence of exosomes has been known for over two decades.

This year alone, more than $135 million in early stage financing was raised for exosome-based companies, and at least three deals were signed...