Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have moved from once being dismissed as “biomedical dust” to powerful intercellular messengers with high medical potential. This year, Vienna became a hub for that excitement: the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Annual Meeting brought over 1,800 researchers to the city. Simultaneously, several recent publications from researchers within the cluster contributed fresh insights into how EVs could be used in regeneration, diagnostics, and therapy.
Recent publications
One new study from the group of Christine Radtke (MedUni Vienna) examined how the EV preparation process can shape the regenerative potential of EVs from adipose tissue-derived stromal cells. The team compared vesicles collected at different time windows during serum-free conditioning and found that EVs produced early on (within the first 24 hours) had the strongest proliferative effect on Schwann cells, which are key players in nerve repair. In contrast, vesicles from later time points lost this effect. The results underline why standardization is crucial if EVs are to make the leap into consistent therapeutic use.
Other researchers from the cluster have been equally active. Pultar and colleagues identified unique microRNA signatures in EVs derived from blood and lymphatic endothelial cells, which opens new avenues to study vascular biology. Tarasova and colleagues demonstrated that the therapeutic potential of EVs in osteoarthritis depends strongly on the developmental stage of the donor cells, with fetal-derived vesicles showing superior benefits. Another cluster-associated study by Bobbili et al. introduced the “Snorkel-tag” method, which is a novel tool for purifying EVs in a gentle yet highly specific way. Meanwhile, research by Deluca and colleagues revealed that combining umbilical cord-derived EVs with rhBMP-2 significantly improved bone healing in an osteoporotic animal model, with potential for translation.
Vienna as an EV hotspot – on air and on stage
This wave of publications adds to Vienna’s growing reputation as a hotspot for EV research. In 2025, the city hosted the annual meeting of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) and brought together more than 1,800 scientists from around the globe. EV science has also reached the public sphere: the Ö1 radio feature “Extrazelluläre Vesikel: Zellstaub mit Zukunft” introduced listeners to the field’s potential in diagnostics, regeneration, and drug delivery, with insights from leading Austrian and international experts. Listen here.