A supporting ecosystem to mature extracellular vesicles into clinical application

Research into extracellular vesicles (EV) has yielded important biological insights and raised the prospect of developing novel diagnostics and therapeutics for a wide range of pathologies. As with other emerging and transformative fields in research, it will require a broad, supportive base for EV research to mature and to develop clinical application. Here, we identify several focus areas to further improve reproducibility and reliability specifically for EV research and make recommendations for minimal experimental guidelines, transparency tools, reference materials, validation, identification of contaminants, data sharing, coaching through education, and funding opportunities.