Engineering of extracellular vesicles for efficient intracellular delivery of multimodal therapeutics including genome editors

X Xiuming Liang D Dhanu Gupta J Junhua Xie E Elien Van Wonterghem L Lien Van Hoecke J Justin Hean Z Zheyu Niu M Marziyeh Ghaeidamini O Oscar P. B. Wiklander W Wenyi Zheng R Rim Jawad Wiklander R Rui He (Tianjin Key Laboratory of Structure and Performance for Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry) D Doste R. Mamand (Department of Laboratory Medicine) J Jeremy Bost G Guannan Zhou H Houze Zhou S Samantha Roudi H H. Yesid Estupiñán J Julia Rädler A Antje M. Zickler A André Görgens (Department of Laboratory Medicine) V Vicky W. Q. Hou R Radka Slovak D Daniel W. Hagey O Olivier G. de Jong A Aileen Geobee Uy Y Yuanyuan Zong I Imre Mäger C Carla Martín Pérez T Thomas C. Roberts D Dave Carter P Pieter Vader E Elin K. Esbjörner A Antonin de Fougerolles M Matthew J. A. Wood (Institute for Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford) R Roosmarijn E. Vandenbroucke J Joel Z. Nordin S Samir El Andaloussi

Abstract

Abstract Intracellular delivery of protein and RNA therapeutics represents a major challenge. Here, we develop highly potent engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs) by incorporating bio-inspired attributes required for effective delivery. These comprise an engineered mini-intein protein with self-cleavage activity for active cargo loading and release, and fusogenic VSV-G protein for endosomal escape. Combining these components allows high efficiency recombination and genome editing in vitro following EV-mediated delivery of Cre recombinase and Cas9/sgRNA RNP cargoes, respectively. In vivo, infusion of a single dose Cre loaded EVs into the lateral ventricle in brain of Cre-LoxP R26-LSL-tdTomato reporter mice results in greater than 40% and 30% recombined cells in hippocampus and cortex respectively. In addition, we demonstrate therapeutic potential of this platform by showing inhibition of LPS-induced systemic inflammation via delivery of a super-repressor of NF-ĸB activity. Our data establish these engineered EVs as a platform for effective delivery of multimodal therapeutic cargoes, including for efficient genome editing.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 16, Issue 1
Published April 29, 2025
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (38)

X

Xiuming Liang

D

Dhanu Gupta

J

Junhua Xie

E

Elien Van Wonterghem

L

Lien Van Hoecke

J

Justin Hean

Z

Zheyu Niu

M

Marziyeh Ghaeidamini

O

Oscar P. B. Wiklander

W

Wenyi Zheng

R

Rim Jawad Wiklander

R

Rui He

Tianjin Key Laboratory of Structure and Performance for Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry

D

Doste R. Mamand

Department of Laboratory Medicine

J

Jeremy Bost

G

Guannan Zhou

H

Houze Zhou

S

Samantha Roudi

H

H. Yesid Estupiñán

J

Julia Rädler

A

Antje M. Zickler

A

André Görgens

Department of Laboratory Medicine

V

Vicky W. Q. Hou

R

Radka Slovak

D

Daniel W. Hagey

O

Olivier G. de Jong

A

Aileen Geobee Uy

Y

Yuanyuan Zong

I

Imre Mäger

C

Carla Martín Pérez

T

Thomas C. Roberts

D

Dave Carter

P

Pieter Vader

E

Elin K. Esbjörner

A

Antonin de Fougerolles

M

Matthew J. A. Wood

Institute for Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford

R

Roosmarijn E. Vandenbroucke

J

Joel Z. Nordin

S

Samir El Andaloussi