Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles as a readout for high-throughput screenings

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous membranous particles secreted from the cells. They are abundant in biological fluids and transport a variety of biomolecules, such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, reflecting the cell of origin. We applied a new method, developed for an efficient, fast and reliable isolation of EVs, in combination with amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay (alpha) technology in order to detect EV-surface antigens in the ultrasensitive range. We have measured PSA-positive EV sub-populations derived from prostate cancer cell lines with the possibility, for the first time, to use them as the readout in a high-throughput screening platform.