Abstract
Exosomes are 40-200 nm membrane vesicles, present in a wide range of body fluids, including blood, urine and saliva. Exosomes reflect the physiological state of their cells of origin and consequently provide a rich source of potential biomarkers. However, the identification and quantification of exosome in clinical samples remain challenging. In this study, we established a highly sensitive and rapid analytical technique for profiling circulating exosomes. We call this assay “ExoScreen” and used ExoScreen to detect cancer-derived exosomes in human clinical samples. We found that CD147 and CD9 double-positive exosomes were significantly higher in serum from colorectal cancer patients (n = 194) than in serum from healthy donors (n = 191). This work describes a new liquid biopsy technique to sensitively detect disease specific circulating exosomes and provides perspectives in translational medicine from the standpoint of diagnosis and therapy.
