Extracellular Vesicles isolated from plasma of dogs affected by hemangiosarcoma: in vitro evaluation as candidate anti-cancer delivery system

The working hypothesis of this proposal is that the tumor-derived Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) can be used as a specific vehicle for anti-neoplastic drugs in splenic canine hemangiosarcoma (HSA). Due to their small size and flexibility in conjunction with the presence of multiple surface adhesion molecules, and their function as biomolecular carriers, EVs are promising candidates for specific tissue target drug delivery. This proposal aims to develop an in vitro application of EVs testing their capability as a drug-delivery system able to: (I) be internalized by primary and metastatic HS cells, (II) without affecting normal cells. This could pave the way to future exploration of the therapeutic role of EVs as a drug-loaded delivery system able to achieve an antineoplastic effect on metastatic disease and selectively target metastatic disease in vivo.