The EXODUS device is designed for the isolation and purification of extracellular vesicles (EVs).
This device generates acoustic streaming at different fluid levels using a vibrating motor.
Acoustic streaming refers to the flow generated when sound waves propagate through a fluid. It is a phenomenon where the pressure variations of sound waves induce the movement of fluid particles, resulting in macroscopic flow. This flow can be utilized to move small particles and cells.
In this device, lateral waves are generated from the cartridge and membrane by providing a large displacement amplitude at a low frequency (200Hz). This generates acoustic streaming in the liquid, significantly reducing particle aggregation and surface binding, and greatly improving processing efficiency. In other words, the membrane’s vibration by sound waves prevents membrane fouling, allowing efficient recovery.
By adjusting the pore size of the membrane in the cartridge, it is possible to selectively target EVs of different sizes. Specifically, EVs within the ranges of 20-100nm, 100-200nm, and 200-450nm can be identified. This allows for the extraction of EVs of specific sizes, such as small EVs.
The EXODUS device offers several advantages compared to other recovery methods:
- Efficient processing time: EXODUS has a shorter processing time compared to other methods. It can automatically extract exosomes in less than 20 minutes.
- High particle recovery rate: EXODUS can recover more particles compared to methods such as PEG precipitation or membrane affinity-based methods. See the figure below.
- Excellent stability and reproducibility: EXODUS can process exosome samples of different concentrations in a continuous volume, and the results show high linearity, demonstrating the device’s excellent stability and wide dynamic range.
- Ability to process various biofluids: EXODUS has the capability to process different types of body fluids. Cartridges tailored to specific samples, such as plasma, have been developed.
- Identification of EV subtypes: EXODUS can identify EVs of different sizes by adjusting the pore size of the membrane.
According to feedback from researchers using this device:
EVs can be reliably recovered even from small samples such as saliva.
The device excels at recovering EVs from large volumes of media.
Researchers have highlighted the need for automated EV extraction in the clinical application of EVs. The future development in this field is highly anticipated.
With the developers of Exodus.
