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Review
. 2019 Mar 15;51(3):1-9.
doi: 10.1038/s12276-019-0219-1.

Exploiting the message from cancer: the diagnostic value of extracellular vesicles for clinical applications

Nobuyoshi Kosaka  1   2 , Akiko Kogure  3 , Tomofumi Yamamoto  3 , Fumihiko Urabe  3 , Wataru Usuba  3 , Marta Prieto-Vila  3 , Takahiro Ochiya  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Exploiting the message from cancer: the diagnostic value of extracellular vesicles for clinical applications

Nobuyoshi Kosaka et al. Exp Mol Med. .

Abstract

Liquid biopsy is indispensable for the resolution of current medical issues, such as the cost of developing new drugs and predicting responses of patients to drugs. In this sense, not only the technology for liquid biopsy but also the target biomolecules for biomarkers need to be identified. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which contain various proteins, including membrane-bound proteins, and RNAs, including mRNA and long/short noncoding RNAs, have emerged as ideal targets for liquid biopsy. These complex biomolecules are covered by a lipid bilayer, which can protect them from degradation. In this review, we review current topics regarding EVs as cancer biomarkers and introduce technologies used for these recently emerged biomolecules.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Various types of extracellular vesicles (EVs).
Several EVs are released from cells. The sizes cannot properly define each EV, and current knowledge is not sufficient to accurately classify EVs
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Components of EVs.
In EVs, various types of RNAs, such as small noncoding RNA, long noncoding RNA, and coding RNA and DNA are included. Proteins are also contained in EVs and on EV lipid bilayers
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Various types of secreted miRNAs from cells.
Several types of circulating miRNAs can be found in human body fluids
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Schematic representation of the current detection technology for biomolecules in EVs.
Several methods exist for rapid, high-throughput analyses of EVs. In particular, current technology regarding RNA detection has been developing rapidly
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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