Extracellular vesicle extraction from dried blood cards
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for purifying and characterizing extracellular vesicles from blood samples are limited by the need for immediate processing by authorized personnel and the complexity of obtaining intact vesicles, which restricts their use in disease diagnosis and monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A method involving dried body fluid cards allows for the extraction and detection of extracellular vesicles, enabling their use in diagnosing, prognosing, and monitoring clinical conditions, as these cards can be prepared and stored by unauthorized personnel and retain intact vesicles even after prolonged storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If standard centrifugation and filtration protocols are used to purify extracellular vesicles from venous blood, then vesicle purity is improved, but the complexity of the procedure and requirement for authorized personnel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the essential function of vesicle isolation from the complex standard protocol. By using dried body fluid cards with extraction buffer, the method eliminates the need for sequential centrifugation steps (1000g, 18000g, 100000g) and filtration through multiple nylon membranes, achieving vesicle isolation through a single extraction step that maintains purity while simplifying the procedure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs disposable dried body fluid cards that can be prepared by unauthorized personnel and stored at room temperature. These cards replace expensive and complex centrifugation equipment, filtration systems, and controlled environment requirements, providing a cost-effective and simple alternative that maintains vesicle integrity
2Reliability
If venous blood sampling by authorized personnel is used, then sample quality is improved, but the ease of operation and accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary actions by allowing sample collection in a stable dried form on body fluid cards that can be prepared by unauthorized personnel at home. The cards are designed to preserve vesicle integrity during storage and transport, eliminating the need for immediate processing by authorized personnel while maintaining sample quality for subsequent analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The dried body fluid card acts as an intermediary between sample collection and laboratory analysis. It stabilizes the biological sample (body fluid) in a dried state that preserves extracellular vesicles, allowing transport and storage without specialized equipment or personnel, while maintaining the quality needed for downstream applications
3Reliability
If immediate purification of vesicles from fresh blood is performed, then vesicle integrity is improved, but the loss of time and requirement for immediate processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary stabilization by drying the body fluid on the card, which preserves extracellular vesicles in an intact state during storage and transport. This preliminary action eliminates the need for immediate purification, allowing samples to be processed at any time while maintaining vesicle integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the typically harmful effect of drying (which could damage biological molecules) into a benefit by demonstrating that extracellular vesicles remain intact in dried body fluid cards during storage and transport. The drying process stabilizes the vesicles, allowing delayed processing without loss of integrity
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided, which comprises providing a dried body fluid card sample, extracting body fluid from said dried body fluid card sample, and detecting gene products associated with extracellular vesicles. An application of the method is also applied for diagnosing and/or prognosing a clinical condition, where gene products associated with a population of extracellular vesicles and gene products associated with the clinical condition are detected.