NutriEV highlights plant-derived EVs at Chinese Herbal Medicine Conference

19 August 2025
NEWS

NutriEV project’s research into plant-based extracellular vesicles featured in Guangzhou, China, through keynote address by Professor Seppo Vainio

The NutriEV Project, funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme, is at the forefront of exploring plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) from foods and botanicals as novel tools for nutrition, health, and diagnostics.

This august, the project gained prominent international visibility when its Scientific Coordinator, Professor Seppo Vainio from the University of Oulu, was invited to deliver a plenary lecture at the Global Conference on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Medicine-derived Extracellular Vesicles in Guangzhou, China.

Project Coordinator Prof. Seppo Vainio gave his NutriEV – EIC Pathfinder Precision Nutrition portfolio plenary talk at the Guangzhou EV Congress on Traditional Chinese Medicine.

NutriEV’s vision: Using EVs in nutrition, therapeutics, and diagnostics

In his keynote talk, “NutriEV: New Paradigms for Targeted Therapeutic and Its Non-Invasive Efficacy Biosensoring”, Professor Vainio introduced a global audience to NutriEV’s innovative approach to extracellular vesicles in nutrition science. The project investigates how naturally occurring EVs in plants and fermented foods can function as:

  • Bioactive delivery systems
  • Non-invasive biosensors
  • Potential therapeutic agents in the fight against metabolic disease and obesity

This research places nutrient-enriched EVs at the intersection of nanomedicine, food technology, and precision diagnostics.

The first international congress on Guangzhou EV Traditional Chinese Medicine attracted delegates from across China, who also attended the NutriEV EIC Pathfinder Nutrition Precision talk.

Scientific reflections from Professor Seppo Vainio

Commenting on the scientific depth of the congress, Professor Vainio reflected:

“The Guangzhou meeting focused on extracellular vesicles (EVs) in relation to classical Chinese medicine. Presentations reported the isolation and characterisation of EVs from traditional therapeutic plants such as ginseng. Both cell culture and in vivo models were employed, alongside localisation, imaging, and omics studies of these EVs.”

“The results collectively appear promising for the treatment of several cancer types, including colorectal cancer. Herbal EVs may also offer cardioprotective effects against certain small-molecule drugs. Plant- or herb-derived EVs, particularly from leaves, show potential for constructing novel nanomaterials capable of targeting diseased cells.”

During the congress, Professor Zhao Kewei’s students offered the classic Chinese drink, which was enriched with EVs purified from the famous ginseng plant.​

This growing body of research highlights global interest in functional EVs derived from traditional herbal medicine—strongly mirroring the NutriEV project’s scientific direction.

Molecular mechanisms and the potential of plant EVs

The congress featured studies demonstrating how herbal EVs influence immune modulation and cancer signalling pathways—areas of direct relevance to NutriEV’s therapeutic goals. Professor Vainio summarised:

“The efficacy of plant EVs is linked to their detailed molecular content, such as metabolites and miRNAs. In selected cases, presenters provided highly detailed data on how plant-derived EV contents are released into target cells and how they function there. For example, the immune system may be modulated via effects on the NF-κB pathway, while in cancer, EV molecular content can target the Wnt signalling pathway.”

Such mechanisms show promise for developing targeted nanocarrier systems and plant-based drug delivery platforms—core objectives of EV-based precision medicine.

International dialogue on extracellular vesicles and traditional medicine

The Guangzhou conference fostered new connections between researchers in EV therapeutics, traditional Chinese medicine, and advanced nanotechnologies. As Professor Vainio observed:

“The Guangzhou EV Congress brought together researchers and stakeholders from across China, as well as delegates from Finland, Italy, Indonesia, and the USA. A key aim was to promote expansion of the congress to include more international researchers and to consider organising sister meetings in Europe, the USA, or Bali.”

Professor Seppo Vainio with Professor Zhao Kewei from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Professor Frederic Zenhausern from Arizona University, USA and Professor Anggrainin Barlian, Indonesia Institute of Technology Banddung ​

“It became clear from the presentations that Chinese medicine is currently undergoing a revival, reinforcing a long and distinguished tradition. China has kept alive this branch of holistic therapeutics, and as EVs operate broadly in soil, plants, trees, water, species, and even air, detailed studies could advance not only Chinese medical science but also enrich Western medicine.”

NutriEV in the spotlight

As a leading European project on food- and plant-derived nanovesicles, NutriEV’s presence in Guangzhou marked a milestone in its international engagement. Professor Vainio was honoured with a plenary speaker certificate and invited to join the editorial board of EVCNA, a journal dedicated to extracellular vesicle science. He also took part in reviewing EV-focused PhD student presentations, reinforcing NutriEV’s role in global knowledge transfer and research mentorship.

Professor Seppo Vainio took part in the evaluation panel of the PhD student competition sponsored by the EVCNA Journal, together with Professor Sergio Bernardini from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.
Professor Seppo Vainio joined the award ceremony to present the prizes to the awardees of the EVCNA Journal-sponsored competition for EV PhD research students.

“Plant-derived EVs offer an excellent platform to develop much-needed targeting tools for small-molecule drugs. Just as penicillin became a cornerstone of modern medicine, plant biologicals studied through EV science may lead to the next wave of therapeutic breakthroughs.”

“Nature, with its vast diversity of species, now offers—via EVs—a major opening for many scientific disciplines. Emerging technologies such as microfluidics, nanotechnology, single-EV analysis, and advanced diagnostic platforms are crucial for this work, and these topics were also represented at the Guangzhou EV Congress.”

“In summary, the Global Chinese Medicine EV Meeting was in many ways historic, inspiring a wealth of new research ideas, avenues, and international collaborations. It represents a bridge between the ancient wisdom of the Chinese dynasties and modern biomedical science, with the potential to explore life’s fundamental concepts—including the Qi—through the lens of EV biology,” Seppo concluded.

For Professor Vainio and the NutriEV team, the Guangzhou congress wasn’t just about presenting research—it was about connecting with a global community that shares a deep curiosity for what nature can teach us. As NutriEV moves forward, moments like these remind us that real innovation often comes from unexpected intersections: between food and medicine, tradition and technology, East and West. There’s still much to discover, but one thing is clear—the conversation has only just begun.

Seppo Vainio thanks PhD student Shen Wencong and Professor Zhao Kewei, who assisted with managing the meeting details and practicalities, and enabled the team to overcome the language barrier with the aid of an AI-based Chinese-to-English translator.