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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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Alamgir, S, Hassan, SJU, Mehdi, A, Abdelmaksoud, A, Haider, Z, Shin, GS & Kim, CH 2025, 'A comprehensive review of vehicle–to–grid (V2G) technology as an ancillary services provider', Results in Engineering, vol. 27, 106813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2025.106813
Thomsen, RM, Nie, S, Lothenbach, B, Jensen, LR, Nielsen, AH, Skibsted, J & Yue, Y 2025, 'A connection between structure and reactivity in alkali-modified calcium aluminosilicate glasses for sustainable cements', Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, vol. 665, 123606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2025.123606
Rault, J-L, Bateson, M, Boissy, A, Forkman, B, Grinde, B, Gygax, L, Harfeld, JL, Hintze, S, Keeling, LJ, Kostal, L, Lawrence, AB, Mendl, MT, Miele, M, Newberry, RC, Sandøe, P, Špinka, M, Taylor, AH, Webb, LE, Whalin, L & Jensen, MB 2025, 'A consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare', Biology Letters, vol. 21, no. 1, 20240382. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0382
LaPrade, RF, Gerhold, C, Kunze, KN, Geeslin, AG, Tollefson, LV, Dave, U, Garcia, JR, Barenius, B, Brown, C, de Oliveira Campos, TV, Cohen, M, Engebretsen, L, Ferrer, G, Franciozi, CE, Fritsch, BA, Frosch, KH, Gelber, PE, Getgood, A, Hantes, M, Held, M, Helito, CP, Inderhaug, E, Johansen, S, Lagae, KC, Levy, BA, Lind, M, Lording, T, Maestu, R, Margheritini, F, Menetrey, J, Moatshe, G, Monllau, JC, Murray, IR, Negrín, R, Parker, DA, Pujol, N, Robinson, J, Samuelsson, K, Stevenson, C, Tuca, MJ, Uchida, S, van der Wal, WA, Villascusa, S, Von Bormann, RPB & Chahla, J 2025, 'A Contemporary International Expert Consensus Statement on the Evaluation, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Injuries to the Posterolateral Corner of the Knee', Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 4630-4640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arthro.2025.04.055
Kjær, MBN, Bruun, CRL, Granholm, A, Møller, MH, Rasmussen, BS, Mortensen, CB, Poulsen, LM, Strøm, T, Laerkner, E, Brøchner, AC, Haberlandt, T, Bunzel, AMG, Herløv, LS, Holm, A, Sivapalan, P, Estrup, S, Cronhjort, M, Schandl, A, Laake, JH, Hofsø, K, Blokzijl, F, Keus, F, Pfortmueller, CA, Ostermann, M, Cole, JM, Wise, MP, Szczeklik, W, Wludarczyk, A, Jovaiša, T, Cecconi, M, Sigurdsson, MI, Nalos, M, Hästbacka, J, Mäkinen, M, Hammond, N, Litton, E, Haines, K, Myatra, SN, Vijayaraghavan, BKT, Yadav, K, Jha, V, Venkatesh, B, Egerod, I, Perner, A & Collet, MO 2025, 'A Core Outcome Set for Adult General ICU Patients', Critical Care Medicine, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. e575-e589. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000006556
Tsirogiannis, C, Gill, DWJ & Chippindale, C 2025, 'A Corrupt Cycladic Corpus of Marble Figures', Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 203-233. https://doi.org/10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.13.3.0203
Lovčević, I, Benders, T, Tsuji, S & Fusaroli, R 2025, 'Acoustic exaggeration of vowels in infant-directed speech: A multimethod meta-analytic review', Psychological Bulletin, vol. 151, no. 6, pp. 669-695. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000479
Hald, C, Raunkiær, M, Nielsen, MK, Dreyer, P & Ludvigsen, MS 2025, 'ACP in healthcare transitions for independent living older adults: a scoping review', 19th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care, Helsinki, Finland, 29/05/2025 - 31/05/2025.
Cook, ASCP, Salkanovic, E, Masden, E, Lee, HE & Kiilerich, AH 2025, 'A critical appraisal of 40 years of avian collision risk modelling: How have we got here and where do we go next?', Environmental Impact Assessment Review, vol. 110, 107717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2024.107717
White, ELF, Kjetså, M, Peippo, J, Morgan, L, Kantanen, J, Comizzoli, P, Steffensen, LL, Kargo, M, Matson, T, Mayer, I & Honkatukia, M 2025, 'Across borders – the status and future opportunities for long-term conservation of Nordic animal genetic resources', Genetic Resources, vol. 6, no. 11, pp. 57-70. https://doi.org/10.46265/genresj.baiq2696
Nouwens, M, Kristensen, JB, Maalt, K & Bagge, R 2025, A Cross-Country Analysis of GDPR Cookie Banners and Flexible Methods For Scraping Them. in CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems., 858, Association for Computing Machinery, 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2025, Yokohama, Japan, 26/04/2025. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713648
Maceiras, AR, Silva, ML, Couto, J, Gonçalves, R, Silva, M, Macedo, S, Machado, D, Indafa, I, Sifna, A, Malaca, CD, Namara, NI, Sanca, L, Rodrigues, PNS, Viveiros, M, Rudolf, F, Wejse, C, Cá, B & Saraiva, M 2025, 'Activation of nuclear receptors correlates with tuberculosis severity and is a target for host-directed therapy', Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, vol. 15, 1724798. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1724798
Ho, KH, Trapp, M, Guida, C, Ivanova, EL, De Jaime-Soguero, A, Jabali, A, Thomas, C, Salasova, A, Bernatík, O, Salio, C, Horschitz, S, Hasselblatt, M, Sassoe-Pognetto, M, Čajánek, L, Ishikawa, H, Schroten, H, Schwerk, C, Acebrón, SP, Angel, P, Koch, P & Patrizi, A 2025, 'Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is critical for the tumorigenesis of choroid plexus', Neuro-Oncology, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 106-122. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noae176, https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noae176
Kyrgiou, M, Bowden, SJ, Ellis, LB, Hammer, A, Lyons, D, Freeman-Wang, T, Kechagias, KS, Kalliala, I, Preti, M, Kesic, V, Zapardiel, I, Cruickshank, M, Gultekin, M & Martin-Hirsch, P 2025, 'Active surveillance of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2: 2025 British Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and European Society of Gynaecologic Oncology consensus statement', The Lancet Oncology, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. e140-e151. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(24)00524-2
Carlsson, M, Frank, E, Màrmol, JM, Ali, MS, Raun, SH, Battey, E, Andersen, NR, Irazoki, A, Lund, C, Henríquez-Olguin, C, Højfeldt, MK, Blomquist, P, Bromer, FD, Mocciaro, G, Lodber, A, Folsted Andersen, CB, Eijken, M, Fritzen, AM, Knudsen, JR, Richter, EA & Sylow, L 2025, 'Activin receptor type IIA/IIB blockade increases muscle mass and strength, but compromises glycemic control in mice: Activin receptor inhibition increases muscle mass and strength, but compromises glycemic control', Molecular Metabolism, vol. 102, 102261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2025.102261
Orsini, CAEM, Huo, S, Bus, JD, Guo, Q, Sun, Y, van der Zande, L, Langenhuizen, PPJH, de With, PHN, Bijma, P, Bolhuis, JE & Reimert, I 2025, 'Activity and synchrony patterns obtained by a tracking-by-detection algorithm as potential predictors of tail biting at pen and individual level in pigs', ANIMAL, vol. 19, no. 12, 101714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2025.101714
Coninck-Smith, ND, Whyte, W & Horne, J (eds) 2025, A Cultural History of Higher Learning. vol. 1-6, Bloomsbury.
Xia, R, Linde, K, Freilinger, T, Vickers, A, Vertosick, EA, Vase, L, Fernández-Jané, C, Ren, Y, Zhao, B, Low, SL & Fei, Y 2025, 'Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine', The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol. 2025, no. 2, CD015528. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD015528
Helfferich, J, Calvo, C, Alpeter, E, Andrés, C, Antón, A, Aubart, M, Bova, SM, Cabrerizo, M, von Eije, K, Fabiola, S, Felipe, A, Iordanova, R, Thomsen, MK, Knudsen, PK, van Loenen, F, Lopez, N, Mirand, A, Molenkamp, R, Midgley, S, Neves, R, Glomb, LN, Øverbø, J, Öztürk, G, Palminha, P, Pfeiffer, HCV, Prochazka, B, Ribeiro, C, Rodesch, M, Schuffenecker, I, Shetty, J, Siegert, S, Solberg, SL, Sulik, A, Türkdoğan, D, Ünver, O, Verweij, J, Vila, J, Vuorinen, T, Wickström, R, Fischer, TK, Harvala, H & Benschop, KSM 2025, 'Acute flaccid myelitis in Europe between 2016 and 2023: indicating the need for better registration', Eurosurveillance, vol. 30, no. 21, 2400579. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.21.2400579, https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.21.2400579
Munch, PV 2025, 'Acute kidney injury in cancer patients', PhD, Aarhus University.
Oyarzo, P, Cichy, RM & Vidaurre, D 2025, 'ADA: A decoding algorithm for temporally-variable brain responses', Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, vol. 27, pp. 4943-4951. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2025.10.044
Lietzen, LW & Andersen, LH 2025, 'A Danish Perspective on AGS25: Surprises, Lessons, and Shared Purpose', Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol. 73, no. 11, pp. 3631-3633. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.70033
Espitalier, V, Lombardo, JC, Goëau, H, Botella, C, Høye, TT, Dyrmann, M, Bonnet, P & Joly, A 2025, 'Adapting a global plant identification model to detect invasive alien plant species in high-resolution road side images', Ecological Informatics, vol. 89, 103129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103129