When cells release a tiny bubble called an extracellular vesicle, it’s like a window into the cell’s contents. Scientists can potentially use these miniscule packages [images of human EVs pictured here, taken by Ken Witwer's lab and Olesia Gololobova] to diagnose and monitor disease, or deliver therapies into cells. Among the champions of this research is scientist Ken Witwer, who leads the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles, and his research team at Johns Hopkins Medicine is developing new tools to find these vesicles and harness their capabilities. Nature Methods chronicles this field’s rise in scientists’ interest and its promise in medicine.

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