Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that in recent years have received special attention for their regulatory functions in numerous biological processes. Recent evidence suggests a correlation between the composition of exosomes in body fluids and the progression of some disorders, such as cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. In consequence, numerous studies have been performed to evaluate the composition of these vesicles, aiming to develop new biomarkers for diagnosis and to find novel therapeutic targets. On their part, lipids represent one of the most important components of exosomes, with important structural and regulatory functions during exosome biogenesis, release, targeting and cellular uptake. Therefore, exosome lipidomics has emerged as an innovative discipline for the discovery of novel lipid species with biomedical applications. This review summarizes the current knowledge about exosome lipids and their roles in exosome biology and intercellular communication. Furthermore, it presents the state‐of‐the‐art analytical procedures used in exosome lipidomics while emphasizing how this emerging discipline is providing new insights for future applications of exosome lipids in biomedicine.

Exosomes are nanovesicles secreted by most cellular types that carry important biochemical compounds throughout the body with different purposes, playing a preponderant role in cellular communication. Because of their structure, physicochemical properties and stability, recent studies are focusing in their use as nanocarriers for different therapeutic compounds for the treatment of different diseases ranging from cancer to Parkinson's disease. However, current bioseparation protocols and methodologies are selected based on the final exosome application or intended use and present both advantages and disadvantages when compared among them. In this context, this review aims to present the most important technologies available for exosome isolation while discussing their advantages and disadvantages and the possibilities of being combined with other strategies. This is critical since the development of novel exosome‐based therapeutic strategies will be constrained to the effectiveness and yield of the selected downstream purification methodologies for which a thorough understanding of the available technological resources is needed.

Exosomes are a subpopulation of cell membrane-derived vesicles which play an essential role in cellular communication. In recent years, several studies have exploited the natural properties of exosomes as nanocarriers for several applications such as immunotherapy or drug delivery. Consequently, numerous techniques have been developed to improve their immunogenicity, drug loading efficiency, or targeting. Nonetheless, to date, there is no consensus on which technique results in more advantages for this purpose. In this context, this review discusses the currently used methodologies regarding traditional and engineered exosome loading and targeting techniques. Here, we focus on the advantages and disadvantages of each method while discussing some results obtained in relevant reports. Although there is a lack of evidence regarding the effects of exogenous exosomes in humans and several limitations in exosome isolation and purification techniques at the large-scale exist, the formulation of new exosome-based therapeutics is in the spotlight. Therefore, the development of more efficient functionalization techniques is required to reduce the potential risks associated with the clinical use of these vesicles.