Label-free approaches for extracellular vesicle detection

Loredana Leggio; Greta Paternò; Silvia Vivarelli; Aurelio Bonasera; Bruno Pignataro; Nunzio Iraci; Giuseppe Arrabito

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108105

Label-free approaches for extracellular vesicle detection

iScience. 2023 Sep 30;26(11):108105. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108105. eCollection 2023 Nov 17.

Authors

Loredana Leggio¹, Greta Paternò¹, Silvia Vivarelli², Aurelio Bonasera³, Bruno Pignataro³, Nunzio Iraci¹, Giuseppe Arrabito³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
² Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences, Morphological and Functional Imaging, Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
³ Department of Physics and Chemistry - Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, building 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy.

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent pivotal mediators in cell-to-cell communication. They are lipid-membranous carriers of several biomolecules, which can be produced by almost all cells. In the current Era of precision medicine, EVs gained growing attention thanks to their potential in both biomarker discovery and nanotherapeutics applications. However, current technical limitations in isolating and/or detecting EVs restrain their standard use in clinics. This review explores all the state-of-the-art analytical technologies which are currently overcoming these issues. On one end, several innovative optical-, electrical-, and spectroscopy-based detection methods represent advantageous label-free methodologies for faster EV detection. On the other end, microfluidics-based lab-on-a-chip tools support EV purification from low-concentrated samples. Altogether, these technologies will strengthen the routine application of EVs in clinics.

Keywords: Molecular medicine; Molecular spectroscopy techniques.

Publication types

Review