Sorting of extracellular vesicles for precise, cell-specific diagnostics

This technology is a method for isolating and sorting extracellular vesicles in differentiated cell cultures and in blood samples for targeted, cell type-specific diagnostics.

Unmet Need: Improved methods for targeted diagnostics

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-secreted vesicles that circulate in the body and contain a variety of biomarkers relevant to their parent cells. Analysis of EVs from patient blood samples presents an opportunity for non-invasive, tissue-specific diagnostics of a variety of conditions ranging from diabetes to cancer. However, current procedures to isolate EVs result in a heterogeneous mixture of EVs that make it difficult to determine each vesicle’s tissue of origin.

The Technology: Method for sorting and classifying EVs by parent cell type

This technology describes a method for EV isolation and sorting according to their parental cell type. Specific markers are identified by culturing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and determining markers in the first differentiated cell type. Unlike current bulk analyses of EVs, the technology also identifies and sorts the EVs by cell-specific markers to examine the pathophysiological state of the parent cell’s tissue of origin. This method can also simultaneously screen vesicles from several organ systems from a single patient sample. Thus, this technology improves diagnostic techniques, and with a small blood sample, provides diagnostic information on the pathophysiological status of multiple organ systems in the body.

Applications:

• Diagnostic assay for cancer and other organ-centered diseases
• Patient-specific tumor profiling
• Preventative screening
• Disease monitoring
• Research tool for metabolic/drug screening and cell-cell communication pathways

Advantages:

• Applicable to a wide range of diseases
• Improved purity of EV preparations over traditional approaches
• A more personalized approach to disease diagnosis
• Enhances information attainable from a single blood sample
• Simultaneous screening of multiple organ systems

Lead Inventor:

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Status

Related Publications:

• Liu B, Lee BW, Nakanishi K, Villasante A, Williamson R, Metz J, Kim J, Kanai M, Bi L, Brown K, Di Paolo G, Homma S, Sims PA, Topkara VK, Vunjak-Novakovic G. “Cardiac recovery via extended cell-free delivery of extracellular vesicles secreted by cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells” Nat Biomed Eng. 2018 May; 2(5): 293-303.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU19242

• Licensing Contact: Beth Kauderer