Label-free approaches for extracellular vesicle detection
Loredana Leggio,
Greta Paternò,
Silvia Vivarelli,
Aurelio Bonasera,
Bruno Pignataro,
Nunzio Iraci,
Giuseppe Arrabito
Affiliations
Loredana Leggio
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Greta Paternò
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Silvia Vivarelli
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences, Morphological and Functional Imaging, Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
Aurelio Bonasera
Department of Physics and Chemistry - Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, building 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Bruno Pignataro
Department of Physics and Chemistry - Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, building 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Nunzio Iraci
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Corresponding author
Giuseppe Arrabito
Department of Physics and Chemistry - Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, building 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy; Corresponding author
Summary: 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.
