Chung-Ang University Team Develops Light-Based Technology for Precise Analysis of Cancer Biomarker EVs

A research team at Chung-Ang University has developed a light-based method for precisely measuring extracellular vesicles, or EVs, which carry proteins and genetic material that reflect the condition of cells. The technology could support liquid biopsies for cancer and other diseases.

EVs attract attention as biomarkers that can be found in body fluids such as blood and urine. Their tiny size and the presence of other substances, however, make it difficult to isolate the desired vesicles and measure them accurately.

The team replaced antibodies with molecularly imprinted polymers, artificial recognition materials molded to match a target’s shape and chemical properties. The resulting structure works like a molecular lock. When EVs bind to it, researchers can selectively capture and analyse them.

The researchers used a single-microdroplet imprinting technique to create the recognition layer from an extremely small liquid droplet. Compared with existing methods, it reduced reagent use to about one-285th and cut production time by roughly six times. Variation between manufactured samples remained below 4%.

The team also combined the method with surface-enhanced Raman scattering. It measured changes in light signals when EVs entered customised nanocavities, allowing researchers to detect and quantify the vesicles without fluorescent labels. Using 35 microlitres of untreated urine, they detected about 317 particles per microlitre through a three-step process: dropping the solution, allowing the sample to react and measuring the light signal.

The findings appeared as a cover paper in Advanced Functional Materials. The researchers said the technology could eventually extend to infectious, metabolic and neurological diseases and contribute to point-of-care diagnostic devices. They cautioned that large clinical studies using samples from patients with different cancers, along with standardised analysis criteria, are still needed before the method could become an early cancer screening test. The team has also won a government-funded project with the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials to develop an AI-based multiplex diagnostic sensor using EVs and Raman spectroscopy.