First-in-human clinical trial of allogeneic, platelet-derived extracellular vesicles as a potential therapeutic for delayed wound healing.

The release of growth factors, cytokines and extracellular matrix modifiers by activated platelets is an important step in the process of healthy wound healing. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by activated platelets carry this bioactive cargo in an enriched form, and may therefore represent a potential therapeutic for the treatment of delayed wound healing, such as chronic wounds. While EVs show great promise in regenerative medicine, their production at clinical scale remains a critical challenge and their tolerability in humans is still to be fully established.