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Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Using Nanoplasmon-Enhanced Scattering and Low-Magnification Microscope Imaging to Quantify Tumor-Derived Exosomes
Published on: May 24, 2019
Detection and isolation of circulating exosomes and microvesicles for cancer monitoring and diagnostics using
Jina Ko1, Erica Carpenter2, David Issadore1,3
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Abstract:
In the last several years, nanoscale vesicles that originate from tumor cells and which can be found circulating in the blood (i.e. exosomes and microvesicles) have been discovered to contain a wealth of proteomic and genetic information to monitor cancer progression, metastasis, and drug efficacy. However, the use of exosomes and microvesicles as biomarkers to improve patient care has been limited by their small size (30 nm-1 μm) and the extensive sample preparation required for their isolation and measurement. In this Critical Review, we explore the emerging use of micro and nano-technology to isolate and detect exosomes and microvesicles in clinical samples and the application of this technology to the monitoring and diagnosis of cancer.

