The Role of Exosomal Cargo in the Regulation of the Biological Complexity of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest of all human cancers and remains incurable. There is an urgent need for the identification of specific diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers with hopes that such markers could be targeted in the development of novel therapeutics for better treatment of pancreatic cancer. The concept that extracellular transport can be mediated by vesicular structure especially exosome was brought to the scientific community in the 1980s; however, it was only in the last 10 years that the field of exosome biology has gained momentum. The surge in research interest was supported by the realization that these vesicular structure can participate in several important cellular processes, and in cancer, these small vesicles are emerging to be recognized as powerful modulators of most of the well-known cancer hallmarks. Exosomes serve as important vehicle for delivering cargo containing proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. They have been shown to mediate intercellular communication between different cell types in the body, and thus affecting the functioning of normal homeostasis as well as the functioning of different pathological conditions. This brief editorial touches upon some of the complex but expanding role of exosomal cargo in mediating the biology of pancreatic cancer. Some perspective is provided as to how the field of pancreatic cancer in the context of exosome is taking shape with the hope to bring forward successful clinical applications of exosome in guiding advancement for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.