This hierarchical microfluidic device rapidly isolates extracellular vesicles and can be used to isolate cells that exceed the size range of most analytical methods. Extracellular vesicles play a critical role in intercellular communication and cellular processes such as immune response. Because they are smaller than cells, extracellular vesicles are difficult to isolate, but the isolation and analysis of extracellular vesicles is a rapidly growing area of research for disease diagnosis and management. Currently available procedures for isolating extracellular vesicles are laborious, time-consuming, and often only capture a subset of the extracellular vesicle size range.
Description
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a device and accompanying control software that isolates extracellular vesicles at specified size fractions from biological fluids within seconds. This hierarchically structured microfluidic fractionation device simultaneously isolates the entire size range of extracellular vesicles, including exosomes, microvesicles, apoptotic bodies, and large oncosomes, from any biological fluid. The device allows the user to control the size-specificity so that it can also be used to isolate large cells, such as oocytes and megakaryocytes, that are filtered out of biological fluids at the beginning of most analytical methods. The entire system is automated, has a high isolation throughput, and runs within seconds.
Applications
· Device rapidly isolates extracellular vesicles and large cells that are not effectively isolated using other methods
· Extraction and fractionation of large and non-large senescent and non-senescent cells from any tissue/organ from human or animal source
· Precise, simultaneous, and high-yield isolation of nano-sized particles
· Mapping and profiling cells in conjunction with emerging single-cell technologies for OMICs analysis
Advantages
· Isolates extracellular vesicles from biological fluids
· Enables isolation of cells (too small or too large) typically filtered out using other analytical methods
· Faster than other methods
· Completely automated
· Can isolate all four extracellular vesicle fractions from any given biological fluid
· Allows precise control over size-specificity
· Isolation is untouched, label-free, and simultaneous
· Extraction is automated, reducing inter-experimental and inter-user variability
· Very high isolation throughput
· Customizable software
Invention Readiness
Prototype
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2023034490A2
