Dear Colleagues,

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as promising vehicles for therapeutic delivery due to their low immunogenicity, biocompatibility, and ability to cross biological barriers. These nano-sized, cell-derived vesicles contain various biomolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, making them ideal for gene and drug delivery. Recent advances in EV engineering have focused on enhancing their targeting capabilities and therapeutic efficacy in targeting different pathological conditions including cancer, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. In this special issue we aim at collecting contributions focused on describing the potentialities of EVs in gene and protein delivery. We invite researchers to submit original research papers and reviews that focus on the following topics:

• Engineering Extracellular Vesicles for Targeted Gene and Protein Delivery: Contributions may explore molecular engineering approaches, surface modifications, or payload loading strategies for the delivery of genes, proteins, or therapeutic RNAs.
• Mechanisms to Bypass Endolysosomal Degradation in Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Delivery: Studies may focus on the intracellular trafficking of EVs, the development of lysosome-escape technologies, or modifications that promote cytosolic release of therapeutic payloads.
• Innovations in Intracellular Loading of Extracellular Vesicles: Optimizing Cargo Encapsulation: Contributions in this area should highlight new discoveries in loading therapeutic biomolecules into EVs, including nucleic acids, proteins, or small molecules. Focus on methods such as endogenous loading, exogenous engineering techniques, or novel encapsulation technologies that improve the stability and functional delivery of therapeutic cargos.

We encourage submissions of reviews, commentary, basic and translational research that addresses the role of proteolytic enzymes in different diseases. We also encourage the submission of manuscripts that focus on the development of new therapeutic strategies based on the use of these prteolipid vesicles.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Alessandro Parodi

Guest Editor