We are pleased to announce that Dr Dhanu Gupta from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, will join Targeting Extracellular Vesicles 2026 as a speaker.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising natural carriers for drug delivery to the central nervous system. This presentation covers key engineering strategies for both loading therapeutic cargo into EVs and functionalizing their surface to improve targeting, including passive loading, active loading methods, and surface modification approaches such as genetic display and chemical conjugation.

We then examine the in vivo pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of EVs following systemic administration, highlighting the challenges of achieving meaningful CNS penetration given rapid clearance by the mononuclear phagocyte system and sequestration in peripheral organs. Key limitations to brain delivery are discussed, including the blood-brain barrier, short circulation half-life, and poorly understood mechanisms of CNS uptake.

Finally, the presentation highlights recent advances in using EVs to deliver protein cargo, including editing enzymes, into the brain, illustrating their potential as a platform for treating neurological disorders where traditional modalities fall short.

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