Jiao Jiao Li, Wei Seong Toh
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of pain, disability and loss of productivity in ageing populations. Existing treatments provide only symptomatic relief, highlighting an urgent need for disease-modifying OA therapies. In this context, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising next-generation therapeutics. As bioactive cell-derived membrane particles, EVs can modulate inflammation and reshape the OA microenvironment to promote tissue repair. This commentary examines recent advances in EV-based therapies for OA, discusses the key challenges and highlights the hopes they hold for redefining the therapeutic landscape.