According to a new study, exosomes, or small bubbles that transport molecules from one cell to another, can be effective vehicles for delivering cancer treatments to tumours.

The findings of the study were published in the journal, Cancer Medicine. The study was led by researchers from the University of Glasgow, Griffith University, and Yale University.

In the study, researchers used exosomes produced by cells called adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) to deliver an RNA-based anti-cancer treatment (miR-138-5p) to bladder cancer tumours in their experimental model.

"The present results reveal that ADSC-derived exosomes are an effective delivery vehicle for small molecule drugs in vivo, and exosome-delivered miR-138-5p is a promising therapeutic agent for bladder cancer treatment," the authors wrote.