Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and Hunan Key Laboratory of Tumor Models and Individualized Medicine published a review entitled “Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes in cancer therapy resistance: recent advances and therapeutic potential” online in Molecular Cancer (2022, IF = 41.444). Lin Zhengjun, a student enrolled onto an eight-year clinical medicine program in 2017, is the first author. Prof. Li Zhihong and Prof. Liu Tang of the Department of Orthopaedics are the co-corresponding authors, and the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University is the affiliation of the first author and the sole corresponding affiliation.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a critical role in cancer biology. The crosstalk between tumour cells and MSCs has been found to regulate many tumour behaviours. Multiple lines of evidence have demonstrated that MSCs can regulate the tumor microenvironment by secreting exosomes and play an important role in tumor development. Recently, it has been found that MSC-derived exosomes play an important role in regulating drug resistance of tumor cells. In this review, the important role and regulatory mechanism of MSC-derived exosomes in cancer chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy resistance are summarized in details. And the prominent clinical application value of MSC-derived exosomes in enhancing anti-tumor drug sensitivity, drug delivery vehicles and radiation-induced damage repair is discussed, as well as the research limitations, challenges and application prospects. In addition, this review provides a theoretical summary and novel insights for further study on the role of MSC-derived exosomes in tumor development and therapy resistance, and also offers a new strategy for enhancing the efficacy of cancer therapy and the prognosis of cancer patients.

Prof. Li Zhihong’s team has been committed to the research on clinical comprehensive treatment of bone and soft tissue tumors, the pathogenesis of oncogenes and cytokines in bone tumors, the molecular mechanism of cancer drug resistance, and the development and translational application of individualized tumor models for a long time. The team closely combines clinical practice and basic research in order to elucidate the molecular mechanism of cancer therapy resistance, improve the existing treatment strategy for cancer patients and make breakthrough in comprehensive cancer therapy.