Jong Hyun Kim¹, Chan-Hyeong Lee² and Moon-Chang Baek²

¹Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Daegu Catholic University, Daegu 42472, South Korea. 
²Department of Molecular Medicine, CMRI, Exosome Convergence Research Center (ECRC), School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, South Korea.

Corresponding author: Correspondence to Moon-Chang Baek

Intensive research in the field of cancer biology has revealed unique methods of communication between cells through extracellular vesicles called exosomes. Exosomes are released from a broad spectrum of cell types and serve as functional mediators under physiological or pathological conditions. Hence, blocking the release of exosome bio carriers may prove useful for slowing the progression of certain types of cancers. Therefore, efforts are being made to develop exosome inhibitors to be used both as research tools and as therapies in clinical trials. Thus, studies on exosomes may lead to a breakthrough in cancer research, for which new clinical targets for different types of cancers are urgently needed. In this review, we briefly outline exosome inhibitors and discuss their modes of action and potential for use as therapeutic tools for cancer.