Malvern NanoSight Pro for extracellular vesicle (EV) research

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Once considered mere cellular debris, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are now recognised as crucial mediators of intercellular communication, offering exciting possibilities in disease diagnostics and therapeutics. These membrane-bound nanoparticles carry proteins, lipids and nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), making them valuable biomarkers for conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders. Understanding EV size, heterogeneity and concentration is key to deciphering their biological function and diagnostic potential.

Accurate EV characterisation, however, remains a challenge due to their small size and heterogenous nature. Size and size distribution analysis helps determine their origin and purification efficiency, while changes in concentration may indicate altered cellular activity. The ability to detect and quantify RNA within EVs also provides critical insights into the success of encapsulation in therapeutic applications. While the potential of EVs is immense, realising this potential hinges on our ability to understand and characterise these nanoparticles.

The NanoSight Pro is increasingly being used in EV research due to its ability to track individual particles for high resolution size, size distribution and concentration measurements. Its fluorescence capabilities further enhance EV analysis, allowing researchers to distinguish subpopulations, assess purification efficiency and confirm biomarker presence. The system uses a laser to illuminate particles and capture light scattering through an optical microscope and integrated digital camera. Machine learning algorithms track Brownian motion to determine particle size, while concentration is derived from particle counts.

With NanoSight Pro, researchers can: confirm and quantify EVs using fluorescent membrane dyes, which incorporate into the lipid bilayer to verify their presence; detect tetraspanins — surface proteins essential for EV biogenesis and cargo sorting, serving as accessible biomarkers; characterise RNA cargo without disrupting small EVs, offering insights into EVs’ diagnostic potential and encapsulation success for therapeutics; and perform advanced fluorescence analysis, leveraging multiple laser wavelengths and long-pass filters to work with a variety of EV-targeting labels. The product provides detailed, reproducible EV characterisation for use in precision medicine.

To learn more, or book a personal NanoSight Pro demo, visit https://www.atascientific.com.au/products/malvern-nanosight-pro/.