Extracellular Vesicle-based Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine
At the Vinmec–VinUni Institute of Immunology (VIVI), researchers are advancing regenerative medicine and targeted therapies through extracellular vesicle (EV)-based technologies. Derived from mesenchymal stem cells, EVs show strong therapeutic potential comparable to stem cells, particularly in tissue repair and regeneration. Current studies demonstrate that EVs can accelerate wound healing by promoting angiogenesis, enhancing fibroblast migration, and stimulating extracellular matrix formation. Beyond regeneration, the team is developing EVs as precise drug delivery systems by encapsulating therapeutic agents and engineering their surfaces with targeting peptides to improve tissue specificity. This approach is being applied to innovative treatments for non-small cell lung cancer using miRNA-loaded EVs. Complementary projects include biomarker discovery for cancer diagnostics, herbal-exosome therapies for chronic wounds, and the V-SNIP initiative to develop plant-based treatments for snakebite envenomation. Together, these efforts highlight VinUni’s commitment to translating cutting-edge biomedical research into impactful healthcare solutions.
Sponsored by
Sponsored by
Extracellular Vesicle-based Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine
The Extracellular Vesicle (EV) research group at the Vinmec – VinUni Institute of Immunology (VIVI) has established a strategic focus on both in-depth fundamental research and translational applications of EVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in regenerative medicine. Stem cell-derived EVs are considered to exhibit therapeutic effects comparable to those of stem cells; therefore, EVs have been extensively studied in regenerative medicine, particularly for their potential in tissue repair and regeneration.
Currently, VIVI is conducting studies on the role and application of EVs in the wound-healing process. Preliminary results indicate that MSC-derived EVs effectively promote wound healing by enhancing angiogenesis, increasing fibroblast migration, stimulating extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis, and accelerating wound closure in animal models.
In addition, VIVI is developing EV-based strategies for targeted drug delivery. Therapeutic agents are encapsulated within EVs, and targeting peptides are conjugated to the EV membrane surface to improve delivery efficiency and tissue specificity.
Following this research direction, the EV group is engineering EVs loaded with microRNAs (miRNAs) and functionalized with lung cancer-specific peptides to develop novel therapeutic strategies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Furthermore, VIVI is expanding its research on biomarker identification and the development of diagnostic models for cancer, as well as exploring additional applications of EVs in the field of healthcare.
Current projects include:
1) Investigation of using exosomes as a drug delivery system for specific non-small cell lung cancer. This project will investigate the conjugation of peptides to the exosome membrane and the insertion of miRNA into exosomes in order to develop exosomes as a target drug delivery system.
2) V-SNIP (Vietnam Snakebite Natural Inhibitor Project): Investigation and development of a formulation to neutralize Vietnamese snake venom toxins using indigenous medicinal plants. The project aims to develop a herbal formulation capable of neutralizing snake venom toxins with ensured stability and efficacy, thereby providing an effective, accessible, supportive treatment solution that is well-suited to practical needs, particularly in medically underserved regions.
3) Development of herbal extract gels and MSC-derived exosome products for chronic and inflammation wound healing. This project develops a highly biocompatible gel combined with C. cochinchinensis extract and mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes to enhance the wound healing process. This combination optimizes therapeutic method for wound healing, thereby providing high efficacy in wound treatment.