Pharmaceutical Education and Practice

Biography

Biography: Laila Mahmoud Montaser

Abstract

COVID-19 has proved fatal to countless people with a compromised immune system. Similar to the principle mechanisms in treating autoimmune diseases, Stem cell therapy aims to reset and strengthen the compromised immune systems and thereby reduce the high mortality rate among severe COVID-19 patients. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the most scientifically studied cells in regenerative medicine, owing to their immunomodulatory and differentiation potential. However, several complications come with their translational application like viability, duration, and degree of expansion, long-term storage, and high maintenance cost. Therefore, drawbacks of cell-based therapy can be overcome by a novel therapeutic modality emerging in translational research and application, i.e., exosomes. Application of MSC derived exosomes has been presented in drug delivery, which has made these Nano-vesicles an attractive clinical tool. The vast advantages of using exosomes over MSCs have shifted the focus on these Nano-platforms. The MSCs derived exosomes can be a novel intervention for treating the current COVID-19 pandemic situation due to their regenerative, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial properties. With upcoming reports and clinical studies using these proposed novel therapeutic interventions, exosomes can be established as cell-free therapeutics and drug delivery modality worldwide. This is the need of the hour and must be looked into as a potential Nano-intervention for treating critically ill patients. This paper displays such a diverse range of advantageous properties including their spectral curability, and their capability to be used as a drug carrier, make exosomes an ideal candidate for clinical applications, and as an off the shelf therapeutics.