# Streamlined and comprehensive circulating tumor exosome profiling by microfluidic arrayed nanoplasmonic sensors and actuators

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2021 · $678,432

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Detection of cancer biomarkers in the blood, known as “liquid biopsy”, can in principle improve
the accuracy of measuring nearly invisible “minimal residual disease (MRD)”. Exosomes are cell-
excreted extracellular vesicles that contain surface proteins and genetic materials (DNA and RNA)
that reflect the characteristics and make-up of the parental cell. Analyzing exosomes would
therefore provide direct insight into the state of the cancerous cell. For cancer diagnostics in
particular, recent evidences have shown that several micro-RNAs are differentially expressed in
CTE. Therefore, unlocking the wealth of information in CTE can potentially cause a paradigm
shift. However, current barriers for profiling CTE are the following: (1) all existing technologies
require blood withdrawal; (2) involve sophisticated protocols; (3) label-free sizing/counting lacks
molecular specificity; (4) provide highly averaged results with high background from normal
exosomes, thus leading to poor sensitivity. (5) provide “partial” information: either surface antigen
or cargo DNA/RNA, but not both. All of the above has led to a simplistic binary outcome that lacks
dynamic range and cannot be used frequently with high sensitivity. We propose a multi-pronged
solution on a microfluidic arrayed nanoplasmonic sensor & actuator (MANSA) platform for: (1)
streamlined isolation, concentration, and profiling. (2) improve sensitivity by monitoring
individual unlabeled exosome binding events with dynamic imaging technology complemented by
spectroscopic imaging. (3) improve specificity by profiling both surface antigen and internal
D/RNA biomarkers at single exosome level. (4) eliminate blood withdrawal using an integrated
needle device. (5) benchmark performance with various sample complexity from cancer cell line
extracts to cancer patient blood samples. Our goal is to obtain a high-resolution, digital exosome
map with both multiplex surface protein and cargo D/RNA biomarker profiles to facilitate high
dynamic range enumeration and boost sensitivity. The proposed technology will become a cost-
effective, point-of-care-friendly, translational platform that will address a critical need in early
cancer and MRD detection to improve cancer healthcare outcomes. The technology can also be
broadly applied to exosome-based diagnostics of non-cancer diseases and basic biomedical
research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10100883
- **Project number:** 1R01EB030623-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Wei-Chuan Shih
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $678,432
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-06-15 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10100883

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10100883, Streamlined and comprehensive circulating tumor exosome profiling by microfluidic arrayed nanoplasmonic sensors and actuators (1R01EB030623-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10100883. Licensed CC0.

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