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Crewe publishes research on the function of extracellular vesicles in cell biology and physiology

In May, Clair Crewe, PhD, and colleagues had their article titled “The microenvironment—a general hypothesis on the homeostatic function of extracellular vesicles,” published in “FASEB BioAdvances.” 

The study was intended to generate a hypothesis about the role that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play in physiological homeostasis and pathobiology.  

EVs, exosomes and microvesicles can offer deeper understanding within plant and animal cell communication, potential for disease diagnosis, and therapeutic developments. 

EVs function locally in their microenvironments, which are built collections of microunits. Those microunits are comprised of cell interactions that take place through EV exchanges, signaling, seeding and disposal. In their research, Crewe and colleagues propose that “microunits are part of a larger matrix at the tissue level that collectively communicates with the surrounding environment, including other end-organ systems.”  

In conclusion, the study offers a working model of EV and its multifaceted functions as they apply to cell biology and physiology of multicellular organisms.  

The microenvironment—a general hypothesis on the homeostatic function of extracellular vesicles