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Purification of High Yield Extracellular Vesicle Preparations Away from Virus
Published on: September 12, 2019
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Acoustic purification of extracellular microvesicles
Kyungheon Lee1, Huilin Shao1, Ralph Weissleder1,2
1†Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge Street, CPZN 5206, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, United States.
ACS Nano
|February 13, 2015
Summary
This study introduces an acoustic nanofilter for size-specific separation of microvesicles (MVs). This contact-free system enables efficient isolation of MVs for biomarker discovery and diagnostics, even from small sample volumes.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Nanotechnology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Microvesicles (MVs) are crucial for biomarker discovery and diagnostics.
- Challenges exist in preparing small MV samples due to their size and complex biological environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel acoustic nanofilter system for size-specific microvesicle separation.
- To enable continuous, contact-free isolation of MVs with controlled size selection.
Main Methods:
- Utilized ultrasound standing waves to generate acoustic forces for size- and density-based MV separation.
- Optimized transducer design and electronics for high separation yield and resolution.
- Demonstrated in situ electronic control of the filter size-cutoff.
Main Results:
- Achieved high separation yield and resolution for microvesicles.
- Successfully isolated nanoscale vesicles (<200 nm) from cell culture media.
- Isolated MVs from stored red blood cell products using the acoustic nanofilter.
Conclusions:
- The acoustic nanofilter provides a rapid, contact-free method for microvesicle isolation.
- The system offers versatile MV-size selection capabilities.
- This technology has potential as a preparatory tool for various MV analyses.
