Chemical Biology of Extracellular Vesicles

During the initial phases of extracellular vesicle (EV) research, researchers faced many obstacles, including a lack of standard methods for the separation and characterization of EVs and efficient tools to study EV functions in cell-cell communication. With rapid and intensive development in the EV research field, the demand for novel methods to investigate EVs has increased. Under certain circumstances, the features of natural EVs cannot meet research or application requirements. Therefore, natural EVs must be functionalized using biological, chemical, physical, or engineering methods. In this chapter, we focus on the principle of applying chemical biology methodologies and tools to regulate or engineer EVs in order to meet future development demands. In particular, the bioorthogonal reaction in click chemistry, small-molecule modulators, polypeptide probes, and posttranslational and epigenetic modifications have potential applications in the modulation of EVs. Chemical biology is a subdiscipline that utilizes chemical techniques to solve biological problems. In general, chemical biology in EV research is suitable for precise sensing, labeling, and regulation of EVs. In this section, we discuss the principles, methods, and technologies of different EV fields and provide examples of applications of chemical biology in EV research.