UMIP-589 – Method for Detecting Extracellular Vesicle by Means of Bioluminescence Detection

Problem: Exosomes, secreted nano-size extracellular vesicles,contain nucleic acid, protein, and lipid cargo specific to the cell of origin.Given that exosomes released from tumor cells can be obtained directly frombody fluids, detection and analysis of tumor-derived exosomes (TEX) have showedthe potential in the cancer diagnosis and prognosis as a promising non-invasivealternative for tissue biopsies. However, commonly used exosome isolation anddetection techniques suffer from significant limitations in clinical practice,including a lack of capability to distinguish the TEX from counterpartsoriginating from non-cancerous cells due to the similarity of their physicaland biological properties and time-consuming and labor-intensive procedures forexosome quantification (e.g. ELISA and FACS). Therefore, there is a need for a selective, rapid andreliable method of capturing and detecting TEXs. Technology: Researchersat the University of Miami have developed a novel exosome-based diagnosticmethod which enables rapid and accurate quantitative detection and molecularanalysis of TEX in single workflow. The method comprises highly selectiveantibody mimetics coupled with highly sensitive bioluminescence probes andreversible capture of the TEX for downstream, involving: ·Antibody mimetics, high-affinity non-antibodyscaffold targeting molecules, for precisely recognizing TEX without no-specificbinding of plasma exosomes due to lack of Fc fragments of antibody mimetics. ·Bioluminescence probe for high sensitivity ofTEX detection advantageous over colorimetric and fluorescent approaches. ·Affinity molecule for specific capture andrelease of TEX for precise downstream molecular analysis. Thus,this technique will have the potential in clinical settings as a rapid andreliable diagnostic and prognostic tool for TEX detection and characterization. Peter Gutenberg pxg372@miami.edu 305-243-4604