Exosomes Detection and Speciation by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) – Potential Biomarkers for a Broad Range of Diseases

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SELECTBIO

"Exosomes are 30-100nm nanovesicular bodies released from endosomes in a wide variety of cells. They are currently the subject of intense study, being increasingly recognised as playing multiple roles in intracellular communication and immune regulation. As well as displaying membrane proteins betraying their cellular origin, exosomes have now been shown to carry micro- and mRNA. It is increasingly accepted that exosomes are implicated and appear in a multitude of pathological conditions and show much promise as diagnostics for many different diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, pre-eclampsia, etc. However, to date developments in this area have been constrained by limitations in the technology available for their measurement.. NTA allows, however, for the first time, exosomes to both be visualized, counted and sized in real time and with a rapid, robust and cost effective methodology. Importantly, through the use of antibody-mediated fluorescent labeling, specific phenotypes of exosomal subpopulations indicative of specific diseases can be detected in complex body fluid backgrounds. We will show results gained recently from the use of NTA in the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and will review other multiple studies in which NTA has been most lately used to speciate and enumerate these deeply sub-micron structures. "