Author(s): Elley Colledge, McCoy Smith, Ian Cutler
Mentor(s): Jessica Pullan
Institution SUU
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized messengers released by cells, playing a critical role in intercellular communication throughout the human body. Their small size (typically less than 200 nm) allows EVs to easily pass through various biological barriers, while their lipid bilayer membrane, decorated with proteins and glycoproteins, protects their cargo. These unique characteristics have positioned EVs as promising candidates for drug delivery, leading to a rapid rise in research within the EV field. However, a major challenge in utilizing EVs for therapeutic purposes lies in the lack of standardized protocols for their long-term storage and thawing. To address this issue, a comprehensive stability study investigating the effects of different storage temperatures and thawing techniques on isolated EVs over a 12-month period has been initiated. An aqueous two-phase system is used to isolate the EVs, then they are stored at -80°C, -20°C, 4°C, and room temperature. At specified time markers, the isolated EVs are thawed using different conditions and then the cell surface proteins, RNA populations, lipids, and morphology of the extracellular vesicles are quantified.