Capillary-Channeled Polymer Fibers for Isolating Exosomes

This capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fiber technology is a cost efficient and highly selective method to isolate exosomes facilitating widespread use of these cellular fragments for biomarker research, medical diagnostics, and targeted delivery of therapeutics. Exosomes are lipid membrane-derived vesicles secreted by most types of cells, which hold promise for diagnosing disease, as they retain the biomarkers of their parent cell. By analyzing exosomes, the presence of diseased cells may be detected prior to clinical onset of chronic diseases. Currently available methods of exosome isolation, like differential centrifugation in which particles are separated from a solution based on their specific size, shape, and density, often compromise the structure of the vesicle and are also time-consuming and costly on a clinical scale. Clemson University researchers have developed a novel, high-yield, low-cost method for isolation and collection of these nano-entities that can be customized to isolate various types of exosomes.