Development of aptamer-based biochip for detection of exosomes in biofluids

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vesicles with diameter ranges from 30–1000 nm and contain various biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Exosomes, a subtype of EVs are secreted by all cell types in the body and play a major role in intercellular communication. Exosomes carry cargo from their originating cells and those from cancer cells may contribute to disease progression by modulating local and systemic effects in the body. In our studies, we detected unique infrared (IR) spectra of exosomes derived from different types of cancer cells. Further, IR spectra of exosomes that were detected in urine samples were found to discriminate between prostate cancer cases and healthy individuals in a pilot study. We are now working with urologists from UM Medical Center, Hospital UKM, Lam Wah Ee Hospital and Sarawak General Hospital to carry out a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the spectroscopic analysis of urinary exosomes as a supplementary test for the development of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted screening for prostate health surveillance. Besides urine, exosomes can be identified in many biological tissues and fluids, including blood and saliva, as targets of treatments and biomarkers of diseases such as cancers. However, the isolation of exosomes from clinical samples remains a laborious and expensive process owing to the complexity of different types of biofluids. In collaboration with BioGenes Tech, we wish to develop an aptamer-based technology for capturing exosmes in biofluids. Aptamers are synthetic antibodies that have the potential to replace current animal-harvested antibodies for molecular diagnostics applications in human healthcare. We anticipate a rapid detection of exosomes in biofluids can be achieved using the biochip that will be developed in this proposed project. The outcome could open the new opportunities for simple fabrication of electrochemical aptamer-based biosensors for detection of various types of EVs in liquid biopsy for cancer detection purposes. Based on our findings on urinary exosomes, our team was invited to join a Horizon Europe work program VOLATIVES that aims to analyze the volatile organic compounds emitted by EVs for disease diagnosis, a collaborative research grant awarded by the European Commission. The collaboration with BioGenes would significantly innovate our technology in supporting the internationally jointed venture. On the other hand, Monash School of Pharmacy (SoP) announced collaborative research projects with industry partners will be supported under the Matching Grant. If our application for BIOGENES RESEARCH APTAMER GRANT (max RM 30,000) is successful, the SOP Matching Grant will top up RM20,000. This would be a strategic approach to obtain funding to support our proposed research project that aims to develop aptamer-based methods for exosome isolation.