Targeting mutant p53 in glioblastoma by an exosome-based therapy

The tumor suppressor p53 is commonly mutated in glioblastoma, conferring it with aggressive oncogenic features. Consequently, we aimed to develop a new therapy approach for glioblastoma in which anti- mutant p53 drugs will be packaged into exosomes which then be delivered to patients for treatment. Previously, we were able to show that gliomas readily take up MSCs-derived exosomes and by that we were able to specifically change the gene expression and influence the biological behavior of glioma cells. Our results suggest that various cells may be used as natural bio-factories for the ex vivo production of nanoscale-sized exosomes containing mutant p53-targeting drugs. We showed that these exosomes can be delivered to targeted cells and to reduce mutant p53 expression. This study provides a proof-of-concept that exosomes loaded with anti-mutant p53 drug might be considered as an efficient novel strategy for human glioblastoma therapy.