Project: New cancer diagnostic assays based on immunocapture / characterization of tumor-derived exosomes using nanotech solutions.

Exosomes targeted and nanotechnology applications in tumor diagnostics are cutting edge innovative frontiers in cancer research and clinical management. These will be complemented with state-of-art methods and novel tools for proteomic analysis, and tumor markers validation as to reach specific objectives: 1) Optimization of tools for enrichment and analysis of target exosome subpopulations from clinically relevant biological samples (plasma and urine) - definition of exosomal markers for overall and tumor vesicles isolation and identification, production of novel and sensitive exosomal marker specific antibodies, and design, production and testing of multifunctional nanoparticles (NP) for tumor exosomes analysis. 2) Optimisation of EXOTEST methodology featuring NP solutions or LSPR nano-surfaces. 3) Optimisation of multiplex NP -based assays for comprehensive exosome profiling. Exosomes are considered an extension of a parent cell, which release and molecular composition is dependent on cell type/condition. Hereby envisaged exosome based approaches to cancer diagnostics circumvent common pitfalls of currently employed tumor markers and detection assays: -provide fractionation and concentration of sample for detection of low abundant molecules; -target exosomes as source of novel peripheral biomarkers; -promptly provide methodology that makes already identified tumor markers usable in research and diagnostics; -provide noninvasive assays suitable for diagnostic screening and disease monitoring; -use existent spectroscopic instruments and avoid extensive sample processing; -combine advantages of natural and engineerized NP to yield robust assays with elevated sensitivity and resolution power and realistic transferability to research and clinics; New patents, complementing the existent ones, are likely to be generated, further prompting industrial development and paving the way to commercialization of novel tools for improved diagnosis and therapy of cancer.

Acronym	DIACAN-NANO
Network	ETB-PRO
Call	7th call for proposals (Call 2012)

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
	ES		Spain
	Exosomics Siena	Coordinator	Italy