17 March 2022

Advanced technologies for EV research and analysis

FUJIFILM Wako offers unique EV research tools for all application fields: purification & isolation, detection, production and protection of intact extracellular vesicles.

Various methods are available to isolate extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as ultracentrifugation, density gradient centrifugation, and polymer-based precipitation. However, these methods have some drawbacks, e.g. low recovery efficiency, low purity, inability to collect intact vesicles, and poor reproducibility.

Comparison of methods

FUJIFILM Wako has developed an extremely efficient EV isolation kit (PS affinity method) based on the Tim4 protein, which specifically binds to phosphatidylserine (PS) on the surface of EVs lipid bilayer in the presence of Ca²⁺-ions. For elution of the captured EVs from Tim4, functionalized on magnetic beads, a chelating agent (EDTA) is used to remove calcium ions, so that purified exosomes are released under mild and physiological conditions. This leads to almost intact EVs with very low levels of contaminants and it provides EVs for functional research. This EV isolation method has better recovery efficiency, purity, collection of intact vesicles, and reproducibility than conventional methods. EVs from various animal species and samples, such as a human, mouse, and bovine can be purified.

For biomarker research, they provide high performance quantitative ELISA kits with selectable capture targets CD9, CD63, CD81, and phosphatidylserine (PS) with high sensitivity & specificity for the detection of EVs.

In addition, FUJIFILM Wako has developed an optimized medium for the production of MSC-derived EVs. It has been reported that EVs released from mesenchymal stem cells, among other types of cells, show therapeutic effects by transferring cargoes, such as lipids, proteins, RNAs, and DNAs to recipient cells. This has led many researchers to focus on the therapeutic applications of EVs. While researchers are seeking for the optimum conditions for MSCs to secret EVs, they have successfully launched a new medium, EV-Up™. This medium is a serum-free and animal-free medium and enhances EV production from MSCs without compromising their functionality.