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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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Møller, L 2026, Danish Literature in British Nineteenth-Century Periodicals. in The Exceptional North: Past and Present Perspectives on Nordicness. De Gruyter, Oldenbourg, pp. 313-327. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783112205266-017
Pedersen, RB & Wivel, A 2026, Danmark i Verden: Dansk udenrigs- og sikkerhedspolitik De. in Det demokratiske system. Hans Reitzels Forlag.
Overgaard, S, Horstmann, P, Lamm, M, Laursen, M, Bieder, M, Bøgehøj, M, Varnum, C, Koldsgaard, L, Petersen, NK, Wilkens, F, Mechlenburg, I, Villekjær, SO, Iversen, P & Mark-Christensen, T 2026, 'Dansk Hoftealloplastik Register (DHR): nye indikatorer for alvorlige komplikationer', Ugeskrift for Læger, vol. 2025, no. 2, pp. 1-2.
Lietzen, LW, Nielsen, RS, Elbeck, SM, Alstrup, TN, Andersen, S, Andersen-Ranberg, K, Carlsen, TL, Christiansen, TN, Hjelholt, TJ, Holm, A, Jønsson, LR, Kannegaard, PN, Kæstel, H, Nielsen, LM, Nissen, SK, Nygaard, H, Riiskjær, E, Dieter Röck, N, Saabye, M, Theil, M, Vinding, K, Bruhn, M, Pedersen, M & Falstie-Jensen, AM 2026, 'Dansk Kvalitetsdatabase for ældre med skrøbelighed: Pas på diskriminering', Ugeskrift for Læger, vol. 2026, no. 6, pp. 1-2.
Minakawa, A, Saghir, JE, Berthier, CC, Lassé, M, Maity, S, Baek, J, Fermin, D, Billing, A, He, C, Eichinger, F, Hartman, J, Nair, V, Fischer, M, Vega-Warner, V, Alakwaa, F, Godfrey, B, McCown, PJ, Menon, R, Demir, F, Pennathur, S, Sharma, K, Schaub, J, Rinschen, MM, Kretzler, M & Harder, JL 2026 'Dapagliflozin mitigates hypoxia-induced metabolic stress, kidney tubular cell death and fibrosis' bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.13.693777
Kaas, MH 2026, 'Da pengene kom til', SKALK Junior, vol. 2, pp. 6-7.
Nielsen, KH 2026, 'Darwins misundelige rival', Weekendavisen, vol. Sektion 4 (Ideer), pp. 13.
Dalpke, S, Yang, J, Forooghi, P, Frohnapfel, B & Stroh, A 2026, 'Data-driven correlations for thermohydraulic roughness properties', European Journal of Mechanics, B/Fluids, vol. 115, 204355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euromechflu.2025.204355
Fujisaki, K, Ferchaud, F, Clivot, H, Bruni, E, Guenet, B, Pichot, C, Versini, A, Baudin, F, Bispo, A, Peylin, P, Martin, MP, Jensen, JL, Eriksen, J, Chenu, C, Gregory, AS, Glendining, MJ, Merbach, I, Beaudoin, N, Mary, B, Mollier, A, Tison, G, Montagnier, C, Chabbi, A, Vertès, F, Cadéro, A, Graux, AI, Pellerin, S, Levavasseur, F, Gilles, M, Morvan, T, Resseguier, C, Milesi, L, Irizar, A, Andriulo, A, Mistou, MN, Butier, A, Bertrand, M, Autret, B, Jeuffroy, MH, Grandeau, G, Doré, T, Cellier, V, Berthier, A, Darras, S, Audebert, G, Pasquier, L, Ecalle, F, Savoie, A, Schiedung, M, Poeplau, C, Maaroufi, NI, Kätterer, T, Bolinder, MA, Sanderman, J & Barré, P 2026, 'Data from long-term experiments in temperate croplands to evaluate soil organic carbon models', Scientific Data, vol. 13, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06863-7
Kallestrup, TSO, Rasmussen, A & Lähteenmäki, L 2026, Date Marks 2025 – Changing behaviour by changing the labels. Advisory report from DCA – National Center for Food and Agriculture, DCA - Nationalt Center for Fødevarer og Jordbrug.
Domini, D, Farabegoli, N, Aguzzi, G, Viroli, M & Esterle, L 2026, 'Decentralized proximity-aware clustering for collective self-federated learning', Internet of Things (The Netherlands), vol. 35, 101841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iot.2025.101841
Zhang, N, Bittner, JP, Pfleger, A, Domínguez de María, P, Jakobtorweihen, S, Smirnova, I & Kara, S 2026, 'Deciphering alcohol dehydrogenase catalysis in glycerol-based deep eutectic solvents through experimental and computational insights', Reaction Chemistry and Engineering, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 874-887. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5re00448a
Sunde, PB, Rasmussen, IH, Folkersen, C, Saito, A, Olsen, MH, Laigaard, J, Papadomanolakis-Pakis, N, Lunn, TH, Meyhoff, CS, Mathiesen, O & Karlsen, APH 2026, 'Decision Support Tools for Adjusting Perioperative Opioid Dosing as Individualised Postoperative Pain Management: A Systematic Review', Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, vol. 70, no. 1, e70146. https://doi.org/10.1111/aas.70146
Jansen, T, Post, S, Jacobsen, RB, Werner, KM, Møller, EF, Rosing-Asvid, A, Burmeister, A & Burdenski, A 2026, 'Decline and northward shift in Arctic cod distribution associated with the changing climate around Greenland', Arctic Science, vol. 12. https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2025-0028
Rivadeneira, NB, Frank, D-A & Tiberius, V 2026, Decoding Digitalization: Insights from Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises. in S Kurtmollaiev, L Lervik-Olsen & TW Andreassen (eds), Exploring Commercial, Social, and Digital Innovation from the Customer Perspective. Routledge, pp. 214-232. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003492047-19
Bertram, HC 2026, 'Decoding emerging microbial lipids and proteins in diet-liver-gut crosstalks', ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, San Diego, United States, 31/05/2026 - 04/06/2026.
Nurmi, S 2026, Decolonizing Agency. in Decolonizing Climate and Religion in the Nordics. Bloomsbury.
Marichal, H, Casaravilla, V, Power, C, Mello, K, Mazarino, J, Lucas, C, Profumo, L, Passarella, D & Randall, G 2026, DeepCS-TRD, a Deep Learning-Based Cross-Section Tree Ring Detector. in E Rodolà, F Galasso & I Masi (eds), Image Analysis and Processing – ICIAP 2025 - 23rd International Conference, Proceedings. Springer Science+Business Media, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 16167 LNCS, pp. 29-41, 23rd International Conference on Image Analysis and Processing, ICIAP 2025, Rome, Italy, 15/09/2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-10185-3_3
Egebjerg, S 2026, 'Deep hedging 0DTE options', Journal of Financial Stability, vol. 84, 101535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfs.2026.101535
Han, E, Clément, C, Czaban, W, Smith, AG, Dresbøll, DB & Thorup-Kristensen, K 2026, 'Deep roots through time and crops: insight from five seasons at DeepRootLab', New Phytologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71065
Lean, C, Latham, AJ, Sandrussi, A & Rogers, W 2026, 'De-extinction and the risk of moral hazard', Biological Conservation, vol. 313, 111637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111637
Ma, S, Ruan, H, Shi, J, Chaxel, C, Wei, S, Stolpe, M, Zhang, P, Xu, Y & Markert, B 2026, 'Defect-based multiaxial fatigue life assessment of 3D-printed bulk metallic glasses', International Journal of Fatigue, vol. 207, 109528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2026.109528
Møhlenberg, M, Jørgensen, SE, Marije van der Sluis, R, Zillinger, T, Hinke, DM, Hollensen, AK, Hansen, AL, Hausfater, P, Gorochov, G, Tubach, F, Ghosn, J, Laouenan, C, Storgaard, M, Holm, CK, Su, H, Pérez de Diego, R, Pujol, A, Zhang, S-Y, Zhang, Q, Sales Luiz Vianna, F, Abel, L, Cobat, A, Casanova, J-L, Mogensen, TH & COVID Human Genetic Effort 2026, 'Defective RNA Polymerase III sensing of mitochondrial DNA in pulmonary epithelial cells impairs type I IFN immunity to SARS-CoV-2', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 123, no. 12, e2522111123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2522111123
Anand, E, Devi, J, Ballard, DH, Joshi, S, Tozer, P, Hart, A, Antoniou, A, Deepak, P, Stoker, J, Lung, P & TOpClass collaborative authors 2026, 'Defining Radiological Healing in Perianal Fistulizing Crohn's Disease: a TOpClass Global Expert Delphi Consensus', Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 190-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2025.02.009
AlZaim, I, Hassan, MN, Schröter, M, Mannino, L, Dragicevic, K, Sjogaard, MB, Festa, J, Dokshokova, L, Weinbrenner, S, Tardajos Ayllon, B, Hansen, B, Rasmussen, RK, Christensen, JN, Wagman, O, Schipper, R, Cai, M, Dheedene, W, Bohn, AB, Farup, J, Lin, L, Soraggi, S, Thorsen, AD, Bæk, A, Thomsen, HH, von Heesen, M, Conradi, L-C, Evans, P, Hagberg, CE, Heeren, J, Emont, M, Rosen, ED, Luttun, A, Etzerodt, A, Massier, L, Rydén, M, Mejhert, N, Blüher, M, Khodosevich, K, Fenton, RA, Sheikh, BN, Jessen, N, de Rooij, LPMH & Kalucka, J 2026, 'Defining the vascular niche of human adipose tissue across metabolic states', Nature Metabolism, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 722-740. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-026-01475-2
Tomelleri, A, Reider, SJ, Dejaco, C, Schmidt, WA, Ponte, C, Hocevar, A, Águeda, AF, Alibaz-Oner, F, Appenzeller, S, Aschwanden, M, Bastian, H, Bosch, P, Camellino, D, Casteleyn, V, Chrysidis, S, Daikeler, T, De Miguel, E, Diamantopoulos, AP, Filippou, G, Goel, R, Hanova, P, Hartung, W, Ikeda, K, Inanc, N, Jousse-Joulin, S, Juche, A, Karalilova, R, Keller, KK, Kjær, SG, Kohler, MJ, Koster, MJ, Macchioni, P, Mackie, SL, Milchert, M, Misra, DP, Molina-Collada, J, Monti, S, Nakagomi, D, Naredo, E, Nielsen, BD, Ogasawara, M, Roth, J, Schäfer, VS, Seitz, L, Seitz, P, Shumnalieva, R, Terslev, L, van der Geest, KSM, Vreju, FA, D'Agostino, MA, Keen, HI, Mandl, P, Pineda, C, Duftner, C & Bond, M 2026, 'Definitions and online reliability assessment of elementary ultrasound lesions in Takayasu arteritis: a study from the OMERACT Ultrasound Working Group', Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, vol. 77, 152927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2026.152927
Buur, H, Dahl, K, Winding, A & Sapkota, R 2026, DEKOMMISSIONERING AF METROLOGIMAST PÅ STORE MIDDELGRUND: Biologiske samfund på menneskabte strukturer. Teknisk rapport fra DCE - Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi, no. 365, vol. 2025, Aarhus University, DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and Energy. <https://dce.au.dk/fileadmin/dce.au.dk/Udgivelser/Tekniske_rapporter_350-400/TR365.pdf>
Levin, F 2026, (De)legitimizing conquest and usurpation in Geoffrey Keating’s Foras Feasa ar Éirinn and John Lynch’s Cambrensis Eversus: Classical, Irish and European contexts. in Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium. Harvard University Press, Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, vol. 43.
Manegaonkar, SM, Effat, MA, van de Hoef, TP, Lee, JM, Boerhout, CKM, Lee, SH, de Waard, GA, Jung, JH, Renteria, HM, Hoshino, M, Pinto, ME, Meuwissen, M, Matsuo, H, Cambero, MM, Eftekhari, A, Murai, T, Marques, K, Doh, JH, Christiansen, EH, Nam, CW, Niccoli, G, Nakayama, M, Tanaka, N, Shin, ES, Chamuleau, SAJ, van Royen, N, Knaapen, P, Kakuta, T, Escaned, J, Piek, JJ, Koo, B-K & Banerjee, RK 2026, 'Delineating coronary epicardial stenosis status from microvascular dysfunction using pressure-drop coefficient from multicenter ILIAS registry', International Journal of Cardiology, vol. 442, 133864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2025.133864