Integrated microfluidic platform for proteomic and genetic exosome detection
In order to adapt treatment to the multicity of cancer types, cancer patient management has been revolutionized in the past decades by personalized medicine. As part of this strategy, liquid biopsy has emerged as a non-invasive approach for personalized diagnostics and treatment. So far, this approach has focused on circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA. However, extracellular vesicles termed exosomes, which are implicated in cellular communication and molecule transfer, have risen as promising biomarkers for earlier and more accurate detection.   The IMPED project aims at developing a next-generation technology able to extract and analyse single exosomes or sub-groups of exosomes on both the proteomic and genomic level. This platform will offer beyond state-of-the-art information on the involvement of exosomes in cancer development. It has the potential to increase the precision of liquid biopsy analysis and provide clinically relevant insight for personalized cancer management.    Toward this goal, the IMPED project will gather three technologies allowing low-cost extraction and analysis of exosomes from human plasma:  (1) Continuous label-free extraction of exosomes from complex matrices (plasma) using thermophoresis  (2) Proteomic profiling of single exosomes immobilized on a nanoarray with possibility of release  (3) Droplet-based reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of exosomes for RNA content analysis    To our knowledge, this would be the first technology to couple intra- and extra-vesicle detection on a single/subpopulation exosome level within a single platform. The IMPED project is interdisciplinary, connecting physics, microfluidics and bioassay development for biomedical applications.