Extracellular vesicle drug occupancy enables real-time monitoring of targeted cancer therapy

Nat Nanotechnol. 2021 Jun;16(6):734-742. doi: 10.1038/s41565-021-00872-w. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Abstract

Current technologies to measure drug-target interactions require complex processing and invasive tissue biopsies, limiting their clinical utility for cancer treatment monitoring. Here we develop an analytical platform that leverages circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) for activity-based assessment of tumour-specific drug-target interactions in patient blood samples. The technology, termed extracellular vesicle monitoring of small-molecule chemical occupancy and protein expression (ExoSCOPE), utilizes bio-orthogonal probe amplification and spatial patterning of molecular reactions within matched plasmonic nanoring resonators to achieve in situ analysis of EV drug dynamics. It measures changes in drug occupancy and protein composition in molecular subpopulations of EVs. When used to monitor various targeted therapies, the ExoSCOPE revealed EV signatures that closely reflected cellular treatment efficacy. We further applied the technology for clinical cancer diagnostics and treatment monitoring. Using a small volume of blood, the ExoSCOPE accurately classified disease status and rapidly distinguished between targeted treatment outcomes, within 24 h after treatment initiation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / blood
  • Biosensing Techniques / instrumentation
  • Biosensing Techniques / methods
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • ErbB Receptors / genetics
  • Erlotinib Hydrochloride / blood
  • Erlotinib Hydrochloride / therapeutic use
  • Extracellular Vesicles / chemistry
  • Extracellular Vesicles / drug effects*
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / blood
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy / methods*
  • Signal-To-Noise Ratio

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Erlotinib Hydrochloride
  • EGFR protein, human
  • ErbB Receptors

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.13565096