A novel method for the isolation of extracellular vesicles and RNA from urine

The discovery of urinary extracellular biomarkers has been impeded by the lack of efficient methods for the isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs: exosomes and microvesicles) and extracellular nucleic acid (RNA and DNA) from urine. Ultracentrifugation (UC), considered the gold standard for vesicle isolation from many biofluids, is efficacious but laborious, and, like most commercially available methods, is unable to isolate enough material from small volumes for protein or RNA-based biomarker discovery. We have developed a novel precipitation method for the isolation of EVs and nucleic acids from urine. The method, which is now commercially available, takes less than 30 min and does not require polyethylene glycol. Transmission electron microscopy and Nanosight particle analysis confirm that the method isolates intact vesicles with a similar size, shape, and number to UC. Immunoblot analysis of preparations made from a variety of urine samples demonstrates that the method isolates multiple vesicle protein markers more efficiently than other commercial kits, especially from more diluted samples. Bioanalyzer, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and array analysis show that the method is extremely efficient at the isolation of extracellular miRNAs. The Ymir Genomics EV and Extracellular RNA Isolation Kits offer an efficient and rapid alternative to UC and other commercial kits.