EXODUS is a device for isolating and purifying extracellular vesicles (EVs).
The device uses a vibrating motor to generate acoustic streaming at different fluid levels.
Acoustic streaming refers to the flow that occurs when sound waves propagate through a fluid. It is a phenomenon in which the pressure fluctuations of the sound waves move the particles of the fluid, resulting in macroscopic flow. This flow can be used to move fine particles and cells.
In this device, by providing a large displacement amplitude at a low frequency (200Hz), transverse waves are generated from the cartridge and the membrane. This produces acoustic streaming in the liquid, greatly reducing particle aggregation and surface binding and substantially improving processing efficiency. In other words, because the membrane vibrates with the sound waves, the membrane is kept from clogging, enabling more efficient recovery.
By adjusting the pore size of the cartridge membrane, EVs of different sizes can be identified. Specifically, EVs in three ranges—20-100nm, 100-200nm, and 200-450nm—could be distinguished. This makes it possible to extract EVs of a particular size, such as small EV.
Compared with other recovery methods, EXODUS has the following advantages:
- Efficient processing time: EXODUS has a shorter sample processing time compared with other methods. It automatically extracts exosomes in just under 20 minutes.
- High particle recovery rate: Compared with the PEG method and membrane-affinity methods, EXODUS can recover more particles. See the figure below.
- Excellent stability and reproducibility: EXODUS can process exosome samples of different concentrations over continuous volumes, and the results show high linearity. This demonstrates EXODUS’s excellent stability and wide dynamic range.
- Ability to process different biofluids: EXODUS is capable of processing a variety of body fluids. Cartridges tailored to the specimen also appear to have been developed—for plasma, for example.
- Identification of EV subtypes: By adjusting the membrane pore size, EXODUS can identify EVs of different sizes.
Exosome detection via the ultrafast-isolation system: EXODUS - Nature Methods
When I spoke with researchers who actually use it,
It can reliably recover EVs even from small samples such as saliva.
It is good at recovering EVs from large volumes of media.
were the opinions they gave.
Automation of EV extraction will surely be a necessary technology for the clinical application of EVs. I look forward to the continued development of this field.
With the researcher who developed EXODUS.