How Our Cells Communicate

We have about 10 trillion cells in the human body. Cells make up tissues, tissues make up organs, organs make up systems and systems make up us. When we are healthy, our cells are in synch and are operating in perfect unison. When we are sick, that is not the case.

Cells communicate with each other through hormones and electrical impulses. We have known this for quite some time. There is however another way that your cells communicate with each other. That other way is through the release extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are like tiny “bubbles”. These EVs are about the size of viruses. They are only visible using an electron microscope.

For many years researchers believed EVs were carrying biological debris made up of various proteins and genetic material. It’s now known EVs have a much more important role, acting as ferries to send important messages to other cells. We are learning more about EVs, but they are still mostly a mystery.

EVs are found in blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid and all over the body. It is still unknown as to where they originate, how they’re made, or how their “cargo of molecules” that they are carrying are released.

This relatively new field of studying EVs is an exciting one, which could lead to the prevention and treatment of many diseases and conditions that we have very little success with today. I am sure that much more will be discovered about EVs in the near future.

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