Microfluidic Approaches for Affinity-Based Exosome Separation

As a subspecies of extracellular vesicles (EVs), exosomes have provided promising results in diagnostic and theranostic applications in recent years. The nanometer-sized exosomes can be extracted by liquid biopsy from almost all body fluids, making them especially suitable for mainly non-invasive po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2022-08, Vol.23 (16), p.9004
Main Authors: Theel, Eike K., Schwaminger, Sebastian P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affinity
affinity separation
Biofouling
Biomarkers
Biopsy
Body fluids
Cancer
Cleanrooms
Exosomes
Extracellular vesicles
Form factors
Heterogeneity
Impurities
Laminating
microfluidic chamber
Microfluidic devices
Portable equipment
Production methods
purification
Review
Separation
µTAS
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Summary:As a subspecies of extracellular vesicles (EVs), exosomes have provided promising results in diagnostic and theranostic applications in recent years. The nanometer-sized exosomes can be extracted by liquid biopsy from almost all body fluids, making them especially suitable for mainly non-invasive point-of-care (POC) applications. To achieve this, exosomes must first be separated from the respective biofluid. Impurities with similar properties, heterogeneity of exosome characteristics, and time-related biofouling complicate the separation. This practical review presents the state-of-the-art methods available for the separation of exosomes. Furthermore, it is shown how new separation methods can be developed. A particular focus lies on the fabrication and design of microfluidic devices using highly selective affinity separation. Due to their compactness, quick analysis time and portable form factor, these microfluidic devices are particularly suitable to deliver fast and reliable results for POC applications. For these devices, new manufacturing methods (e.g., laminating, replica molding and 3D printing) that use low-cost materials and do not require clean rooms are presented. Additionally, special flow routes and patterns that increase contact surfaces, as well as residence time, and thus improve affinity purification are displayed. Finally, various analyses are shown that can be used to evaluate the separation results of a newly developed device. Overall, this review paper provides a toolbox for developing new microfluidic affinity devices for exosome separation.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms23169004