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Exosomes

Exosomes are small membrane vesicles of endocytic origin secreted by most cell types in vitro. Cells continuously secrete a large number of microvesicles, exosomes and small molecules into the extracellular space. Exosomes have been shown to contain mRNA and miRNA and they are able to mediate communication between cells, by transport of RNA and proteins which can be functionalized in the recipient cell. The ability to transport bioactive cargoes, gives exosomes innate therapeutic potential as a natural drug carrier. Efficient techniques for loading drugs into exosomes to utilize the natural carrier capabilities of these vesicles remains to be elucidated.

Applications of Exosomes

The presence exosomes in blood, saliva, and urine paves the way for the possible application of exosomes as a diagnostic marker for diseases. Many diseases are difficult to detect by the methods and equipment available today and there is a growing demand for development of new non‐invasive methods to detect diseases in early stages. The use of exosomes as markers of disease is being investigated to cement their potential as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for early detection of many diseases, in particular cancers. This, however, relies on thorough characterisation of exosomes in both healthy and diseased states

An important factor to understanding the roles of exosomes is knowledge of their biodistribution. Currently, the number of publications describing the biodistribution of exosomes is limited. The main reason being the lack of a robust fluorescent label that can be visualised in vivo. Mapping the specific cell type derived exosomes can increase our knowledge on the roles of exosomes in the organism, as well as help to identify natural targeting systems.

Isolation, Characterisation and Fluorescent Labelling

The most common isolation protocol uses a differential centrifugation to fractionate cells, microvesicles, and exosomes, which are pelleted by ultracentrifugation. After vesicles are secreted from cells into the extracellular environment, it difficult to separate the different subpopulations of vesicles to obtain a pure sample. We have developed methods to optimise isolation and thorough characterisation procedures to obtain pure and well-characterised exosomes. Furthermore, we have developed a simple method for labelling of exosomes with a robust fluorescent label that can be visualised in vivo, allowing investigation of the biodistribution of different cell derived exosomes.

Collaborators:

Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark

Dan Peer, Department of Cell Research & Immunology, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Moein Moghimi, school of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, Durham University, UK

Recent Publications

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Berden, J, Hanley-Cook, GT, Chimera, B, Cakmak, EK, Nicolas, G, Baudry, J, Srour, B, Kesse-Guyot, E, Berlivet, J, Touvier, M, Deschasaux-Tanguy, M, Colizzi, C, Marques, C, Millett, C, Jannasch, F, Skeie, G, Dansero, L, Schulze, MB, Katzke, V, van der Schouw, YT, Jimenez Zabala, AM, Tjønneland, A, Kyrø, C, Dahm, CC, Agnoli, C, Ibsen, DB, Weiderpass, E, Pasanisi, F, Severi, G, Gómez, JH, Murray, K, Guevara, M, Sanchez, MJ, Frenoy, P, Zamora-Ros, R, Tumino, R, Kaaks, R, Pala, V, Vineis, P, Ferrari, P, Huybrechts, I & Lachat, C 2026, 'Synergies between food biodiversity, processing levels, and the EAT-Lancet diet for nutrient adequacy and environmental sustainability: a multiobjective optimization using the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort', American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 123, no. 2, 101115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.11.006
Lopez-Aguileta, L, Martín-Encinas, E, Knudsen, BR, Tesauro, C, Schirizzi, A, Montanaro, R, D'Alessandro, R, Perrone, MG, Stefanachi, A, Contino, M & Alonso, C 2026, 'Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel fused pyridopyrimidine derivatives as topoisomerase I inhibitors and as potential antitumor agents: promising results in lung, ovary and gastric cancer', European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 310, 118782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2026.118782
Khalil, B, Baraka, M, Haghighat, S, Jain, S, Manila, N, Ramani, R, Tichy, A, Tolstaya, E, Schwendicke, F & Pauwels, R 2026, 'Synthetic Imaging in Dentistry: A Narrative Review of Deep Learning Techniques and Applications', Journal of Dentistry, vol. 165, 106274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2025.106274
Graulund, CU, Andersen, NE & Tambo, T 2026, 'Synthetic Personas for Enhanced Customer Interaction in Innovation: An LLM-Based Approach', Communications in Computer and Information Science, pp. 1-12.
Gumus, B & Kjaran, JI 2026, Syrian Refugee Women Experiences of Work-Based Violence. in Feminist Legal and Political Challenges - The Contemporary Interplay of Gender, Intersectionality and Diversity. Springer Nature, pp. 103 -122.
Dige, M 2026, 'Syv paradokser i krigens etik', Paradoks: Tidsskrift for Filosofi og Teori.
Christiansen, AV & Hjørngaard, MW 2026, Tacit Pacts and Podium Placings: Cooperation, Altruism, and Corruption in Competitive Cycling. in D Collins, M Kostera, M Polec & T Vine (eds), THE ROUTLEDGE COMPANION TO ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE. Routledge.
Mobin, M, Abdurrahmanoglu, C, Mishin, OV, Gjørup, FH, Jørgensen, MRV, Esposito, V & Haugen, AB 2026, 'Tailoring Crystallographic Texture Through Direct Ink Writing of Piezoelectric Ceramics', Journal of the American Ceramic Society, vol. 109, no. 4, e70687. https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.70687
Ardyna, M, Nicolaus, M, Houssais, M-N, Raut, J-C, Angot, H, Bisson, K, Brown, KA, Flores, JM, Galand, PE, Ghiglione, J-F, Law, KS, Ravetta, F, Schmale, J, Sonke, JE, Babin, M, Geoffroy, M, Heimbürger-Boavida, L-E, Lovejoy, C, Rysgaard, S, Schuback, N, Vancoppenolle, M, Tremblay, J-E, Bowler, C, Karp-Boss, L & Troublé, R 2026 'Tara Polaris expeditions: Sustained decadal observations of the coupled Arctic system in rapid transition'.
Anderson, S, Karlstaedt, A, Young, M, Karatzia, L, Cullen, F, Chen, J, O’Riordan, CE, Barnes, MR, Štaka, Z, Albee, LJ, Garrod-Ketchley, C, Dambure, S, Prag, HA, Cvetko, F, Miller, JJJJ, Thiemermann, C, Lewis, AJM, Murphy, MP, Smith, DM, Henson, SM, Tyler, DJ & Aksentijevic, D 2026, 'Targeting immunometabolic pathways with AZD1656 alleviates inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in type 2 diabetic cardiomyopathy', Nature Cardiovascular Research, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 138-154. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44161-025-00769-0
Vinther, SC, Resag, A, Le, KTT, Zelle-Rieser, CC, Strandt, H, Malle, MG, Christiansen, SH, Del Frari, B, Stigger, T, Schilling, B, Wohlfarth, J, Thiel, S, Valero, J, Stoitzner, P & Kjems, J 2026, 'Targeting Langerhans cells using a modular mannosylated nucleic acid-based vaccine platform', Journal of Controlled Release, vol. 392, pp. 114741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2026.114741
Rasmussen, AN, Mcdermott, I & Spooner, S 2026, 'Taskification in general practice: A solution to, or an aggravator of, the workforce crisis?', Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 120-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/13558196251400266
Li, H, Sun, Y, Liu, Y, Liu, Q, Duan, Y, Zhou, L, Cai, H, Yang, W, Hamilton, DP, Paerl, HW, Wood, SA, Jeppesen, E & Wang, H 2026, 'Taste and odor in water supplies: A review of producers, adverse effects, detection, and mitigation', Water Biology and Security. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watbs.2026.100608
Bondonno, NP, Pokharel, P, Parmenter, BH, Thompson, AS, Jennings, A, Murray, K, Meteran, H, Hodgson, J, Kühn, T & Cassidy, A 2026, 'Tea and coffee intakes, COPD, adult asthma, and lung function in the UK Biobank', Food and Function, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 673-686. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5fo01943e
Jensen, TW & Albrechtsen, C 2026, 'Teacher and Teacher Union Perspectives on GenAI's Impact on Professional Identity and Practice in Nordic Education', NERA (The Nordic Educational Research Association) Conference 2026, Aarhus, Denmark, 04/03/2026 - 06/03/2026. <https://virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/75373/submission/879>
Musaeus, P, Prilop, CN, Dikilitas, K, Sundset, MA, Svensen, C, Ershova, T, Boud, D, Lindberg, AB, Bjælde, OE, Gray, RM, Istencioglu, T, Kvernenes, M, Lassesen, B & Raaheim, A 2026, 'Teacher feedback literacy in higher education: Navigating enablers and constraints', Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 315-331. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2025.2591556
Jensen, AV, Surrow, IM, Shokeen, E, Liu, Y-Y, Connelly, L, Dindler, C, Hjorth, M, Petersen, MG & Iversen, OS 2026, Teachers Bridging Technical and Reflective Stances in K-9 AI Education. in Proceedings of the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) Annual Meeting. International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS).
Sigurdsson, L. (Redaktør), Breidlid, H. (Redaktør), Sigurdsson, L., Breidlid, H., Emerson, L., Christodoulou, E., Daou, A. M., Lindhardt, E., Kornholt, B., Kopp, A. O., Henriksen, G. F., Paaske, N., Aukland, K., Myrbøe, T., Richardson, N., Gallagher, T., Fahed, Z., Al Hindy, E. & Zembylas, M. 2026, Teaching contested narratives and controversial issues: Contextualised approaches from Cyprus, Denmark, Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Denmark.
Hillebrand, E 2026, Teaching Mathematics for Economists. in E Hillebrand & W Griffiths (eds), Teaching econometrics: A tribute to R. Carter Hill. Springer, Advanced Studies in Theoretical and Applied Econometrics, vol. 56, pp. 365-399. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97942-2_20
Refskou, AS 2026, Teaching Shakespeare's Emotions. Cambridge University Press.
Arioti, M, Moroni, A, Mashayekhi, K, Werner, GS, Agostoni, P, Gorgulu, S, Ayoub, M, Avran, A, Kalay, N, Goktekin, O, Ladwiniec, A, Zaczkiewicz, M, Wojcik, J, Arenz, J, Rathore, S, Atmowihardjo, I, Dalibor, J, Christiansen, EH, Chico, L-G, Gasparini, GL, Galassi, AR, Vadalà, G, Gagnor, A, Diletti, R, Behnes, M, Pyxaras, SA, Di Mario, C, Boudou, N & Garbo, R 2026, 'Technical use of intravascular ultrasound in chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary interventions: insights from the Euro-CTO registry', Clinical Research in Cardiology, vol. 115, no. 1, pp. 145-158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-025-02788-0
Bregnballe, T & Holm, TE 2026, Tejst, overvågning af ynglefugle. DCE, Teknisk anvisning fra Fagdatacenter for Biodiversitet og Terrestrisk Natur, no. A184, vers. 3, Aarhus University, DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and Energy. <https://ecos.au.dk/fileadmin/ecos/Fagdatacentre/Biodiversitet/TAA184_Tejst_v3.pdf>
Bergholdt Jul Christiansen, I, Zoch-Lesniak, B, Lindberg, B, Björkman, A, Ramerman, L, Payne, R, Herrmann, T, Homar, V & Huibers, L 2026, 'Telephone triage in urgent unscheduled primary care in 16 European countries: a cross-national questionnaire-based expert study', Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 2600632. https://doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2025.2600632