Development of a high-yield and high-purity isolation kit for extracting extracellular vesicles from complex biological samples

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The proposed research project includes a partnership between the BioMed Innovation (BMI) laboratory (Dr. Li) at the University of Guelph (UofG, Guelph, Ontario) and Galenvs Sciences Inc. (Montreal, Quebec). The primary goal of the collaborative research partnership is to develop an EV isolation kit to isolate and purify extracellular vesicles (EVs) from complex biological fluids (e.g., blood plasma/serum, urine) with high yield and high purity. EVs are nanoscale vesicles secreted from cells into body fluids such as blood and urine. Since EVs carry biomolecules similar to their cells of origin, analysis of EV contents in biofluids has been a promising tool for disease diagnosis and treatment monitoring. EVs (specifically, exosomes) also have the capacity to serve as a therapeutic platform to treat complex diseases, with low immunogenicity and tumorigenicity. However, EV isolation from biofluids constitutes a major bottleneck in these applications largely due to the yield and purity limitations of the current technologies. This project aims to overcome these challenges by developing an aptamer-functionalized-magnetic-nanoparticle-based extraction kit with easy-to-follow protocols and ready-to-use reagents for isolating EVs from various types of biofluids, with high yield and purity, suitable for downstream EV molecular analysis. Successful completion of this project has a substantial economic impact on the biotech industry of Canada. The potential outcomes and impacts include: (1) one of the first EV isolation kits made in Canada with both established protocols and ready-to-use reagents; (2) enabling broader applications of EVs in health and life sciences; (3) enhancing the competitiveness of the Canadian biotechnology companies both at home and in the global market; (4) training of HQP in nano-biotechnology and EV science.