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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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Volke, V, Wegener, G, Bourin, M & Vasar, E 2003, 'Antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects of selective neuronal NOS inhibitor 1-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)-imidazole in mice', Behavioural Brain Research, vol. 140, no. 1-2, pp. 141-7.
Hansen, DG, Søndergaard, J, Vach, W, Gram, LF, Rosholm, JU & Kragstrup, J 2003, 'Antidepressant drug use in general practice: Inter-practice variation and association with practice characteristics', European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 59, pp. 143-149.
Sindrup, SH & Jensen, TS 2003, Antidepressants in the treatment of neuropathic pain. in Neuropathic Pain: Pathophysiology and Treatment. IASP Press, Seattle, pp. 169-183.
Pihakaski-Maunsbach, K, Tamminen, I, Pietiäinen, M & Griffith, M 2003, 'Antifreeze proteins are secreted by winter rye cells in suspension culture', Physiologia Plantarum, vol. 118, pp. 390-398.
Jeppesen, PB, Gregersen, S, Rolfsen, SE, Jepsen, M, Colombo, M, Agger, A, Xaio, J, Kruhøffer, M, Ørntoft, TF & Hermansen, K 2003, 'Antihyperglycemic and blood pressure-reducing effects of stevioside in the diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rat', Metabolism, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 372-378.
Thastum, M, Gubba.L. & Lehmkuhl (ed.) 2003, Antizipatorische Trauer bei 8-13 jährigen Kindern mit einem körperlichen kranken Elternteil: Triangulierung zwischen quantitativen Methoden. in Ikke angivet. Vandenhoeck, pp. 127, XXVII Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, Wien, Austria, 02/04/2003.
Heegaard, S, Rosenberg, T, Preising, M, Prause, JU & Bek, T 2003, 'An unusual retinal vascular morphology in connection with a novel AIPL1 mutation in Leber's congenital amaurosis', British Journal of Ophthalmology, no. 87, pp. 980-983.
Rattleff, P 2003, Anvendelse af Espergærde Gymnasium og HFs intranet. in Det virtuelle gymnasium: - en følgeforskningsrapport for skoleåret 2002/03 om et udviklingsprojekt. Undervisningsministeriet, København. <http://www.uvm.dk>
Guldbrandtsen, B & Thomasen, JR 2003, Anvendelse af QTL i Dansk Holstein-avl. in Årsrapport 2002. Dansk Kvæg, Årsrapport, no. 103, vol. 2002, pp. 30-31.
Jørgensen, F, Sørensen, KI & Auken, E 2003, Anvendelse af TEM-metoden ved geologisk kortlægning: Rapport. Geofysisk afdeling, Geologisk Institut, Aarhus Universitet.
Jørgensen, F & Auken, E 2003, Anvendelse af TEM-metoden ved geologisk kortlægning. GeoFysikSamarbejdet, Geologisk Institut, Aarhus Universitet.
Kristensen, K, Willas, J, Jørgensen, LN & Gislum, R 2003, Anvendelse af ufuldstændige blokforsøg. in Bilag til Temamøde: Biometrianvendelse i planteforskningen. pp. 69-77, Anvendelse af ufuldstændige blokforsøg, Forskningscenter Flakkebjerg, Denmark, 25/09/2003.
Kær, SK, Rosendahl, L & Adamsen, P 2003, A particle deposition model applicable to full-scale boiler simulations: Sub-model testing. in TJ O Hern & TJ O Hern (eds), Proceedings of the 2001 ASME Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting. Volume 1: Forums. pp. 415-420, 2001 ASME Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting, New Orleans, LA, United States, 29/05/2001.
Killick, SB, Mufti, G, Cavenagh, JD, Mijovic, A, Peacock, JL, Gordon-Smith, EC, Bowen, DT & Marsh, JCW 2003, 'A pilot study of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in the treatment of patients with 'low-risk' myelodysplasia', British Journal of Haematology, vol. 120, no. 4, pp. 679-684. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2141.2003.04136.x
Skjøt, M, Mikkelsen, R, Jørgensen, B, Ulvskov, P & Borkhardt, B 2003, Apoplastic endo-1,5-alpha-L-arabinase expression in potato (Solanum tuberosum L) inhibits stolon differentiation and results in accumulation of starch and ectopic expression of tuber specific transcripts in the stem. in Proc. Gordon Plant Cell Walls Research Conference. Gordon Plant Cell Walls Research Conference, Meriden, New Hampshire, United States, 11/08/2003.
Lipworth, L, Friis, S, Mellemkjær, L, Signorello, LB, Johnsen, SP, Nielsen, GL, McLaughlin, JK, Blot, WJ & Olsen, JH 2003, 'A population-based cohort study of mortality among adults prescribed paracetamol in Denmark', Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, vol. 56, pp. 796-801.
Friis, S, Sørensen, HT, McLaughlin, JK, Johnsen, SP, Blot, WJ & Olsen, JH 2003, 'A population-based cohort study of the risk of colorectal and other cancers among users of low-dose aspirin', British Journal of Cancer, vol. 88, pp. 684-8.
Ööpik, M, Kaasik, A-E & Jakobsen, JK 2003, 'A population based epidemiological study on myasthenia gravis in Estonia', Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, no. 74, pp. 1638-1643.
Wong, GK-S, Yang, Z, Passey, DA, Kibukawa, M, Paddock, M, Liu, N, Bolund, L & Yu, J 2003, 'A population threshold for functional polymorphisms', Genome Research, no. 13, pp. 1873-1879.
Frederiksen, HJ, Plathe, S (ed.) & Bruun, J (ed.) 2003, Apostelrækker, nødhjælpere og andre helgener. in Middelalderlige altertavler i Haderslev Stift. Poul Kristensens Forlag, Herning, pp. 124-142.
Jensen, UJ 2003, A Post-Modern Kantian. in I Kerridge (ed.), In Honour of Miles Little. The Centre for Values, Ethics and Law, Sydney, pp. 1-5.
Bach, S 2003, 'Apostrofe som lyrisk indslag i fortællinger', Renæssanceforum: Tidsskrift for Renæssanceforskning, no. 189, pp. 36-47.
Kühn, BF 2003, Apple scab resistant apple varieties. in Organic production of fruit and berries. NJF seminar, Årslev, Denmark, 22/10/2003.
Jensen, JM & Jacobsen, BH 2003, 'Application of geophysical methodology in time-distance helioseismology', Paper presented at EGS-AGU-EUG Joint Assembly 2003, Nice, France, 17/12/2010.
Skrydstrup, T 2003, 'Application of Samarium Diiodide in the Reals of Carbohydrates and Peptides', Paper presented at 5th International Conference on F-Elements, Geneve, Schweiz, 17/12/2010.
Baelum, V, Machiulskiene, V, Nyvad, B, Richards, A & Vaeth, M 2003, 'Application of survival analysis to carious lesion transitions in intervention trials', Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 252-60.
Risgaard-Petersen, N, Nielsen, LP, Rysgaard, S, Dalsgaard, T & Meyer, RL 2003, 'Application of the isotope pairing technique in sediments where anammox and denitrification coexist', Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, vol. 1, pp. 63-73.
Risgaard-Petersen, N, Nielsen, LP, Rysgaard, S, Dalsgaard, T & Meyer, RL 2003, 'Application of the isotope pairing technique in sediments where anammox and denitrification coexist', Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, vol. 1, pp. 63-73. https://doi.org/10.4319/lom.2003.1.63
Jensen, JL & Hobolth, A 2003, 'Applications of hidden Markov models for comparative gene structure prediction', MaPhySto Resesearch Report, vol. 35, pp. 734-728.
Asmussen, S 2003, Applied Probability and Queues. 2. edn, Springer, New York.
Elberling, B, Knudsen, KL, Kristensen, PH & Asmund, G 2003, 'Applying foraminiferal stratigraphy as a biomarker for heavy metal contamination and mining impact in a fiord in West Greenland', Marine Environmental Research, vol. 55, pp. 235-256.
Ferrando, RE, Nyengaard, JR, Hays, SR, Fahy, JV & Woodruff, PC 2003, 'Applying stereology to measure thickness of the basement membrane zone in bronchial biopsy specimens [4]', Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 112, no. 6, pp. 1243-1245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2003.09.038