Abstract
Exosomes are characterized as extracellular vesicles (EVs) ranging from 30-150 nm in diameter that widely exist in body fluids, tissues and organs and are important intercellular communicators. Since their discovery in 1983, exosomes' unique properties have drawn undistracted attention for 40 years. Particularly during the past decade, exosomes have become a research hotspot worldwide. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is one of the most important funding agencies for basic research in China. Since its first-ever application in 2008, the NSFC has launched 3,144 projects related to exosomes, which has contributed to elevating the research and cultivating talent in this field. Exosome research supported by the NSFC has diversified into several main research directions to meet the needs of different disciplines through basic and translational studies. In this study, we review exosome-related applications and funded projects of the NSFC to provide an outline of exosome research progress in China, aiming to increase awareness and inspire innovative research related to exosomes.