# Effect of methodological and biological variability on molecular profiling of extracellular vesicles in cancer detection

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $680,042

## Abstract

Project Summary
A novel paradigm in paracrine signaling has recently emerged based on the findings identifying extracellular
vesicles (EVs) as intercellular conveyors of biological information both in normal and pathological conditions
such as cancer. EVs and their cargo have been shown by us and others to regulate gene expression and alter
cell function in various cell types. Moreover, during pathological conditions such as cancer, the number and
compositions of EVs alter the host immune response as well as synchronize the behavior of secondary tumors.
Isolation and molecular profiling of EVs (i.e. RNAs, proteins, post-translational modifications, lipids,
metabolites) both in health and disease are critical for understanding EVs' biogenesis and effector functions.
Currently, the study of EVs as biological entities relevant for intracellular signaling and disease diagnosis is
based on the assumption that the biogenesis and removal of EVs happen at a steady state rate, being
modified mostly by the healthy/diseased status of the host. Our published results show that that is not the
case. Our data indicate that the tissue-origin, number, size distribution, as well as protein, lipid, metabolite and
RNA composition of EVs isolated by standard techniques depend not just on the blood collection methods, but
also on the time of the day the blood samples were collected. Therefore, systematic assessment of these
factors and other sources of variability in EV profiles are important for enabling basic biology, clinical and
personalized medicine applications.
Although it is beyond the purpose of this grant, the long-term goal of our team is to establish reproducible
methods for blood collection and sample processing that would allow us to identify the specific molecular EV
signatures during the day/night cycle, with the aim of pinpointing the ideal, organ-specific times for blood
collection, which would increase the reliability and specificity of early cancer detection. We believe that
establishing biological and methodological baselines are absolutely vital for correctly comparing proteomics
and glycomics data obtained in various studies, as well as interpreting the data obtained from patients'
samples.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10115636
- **Project number:** 5R01CA218500-04
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** IONITA Calin GHIRAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $680,042
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-03-15 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10115636

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10115636, Effect of methodological and biological variability on molecular profiling of extracellular vesicles in cancer detection (5R01CA218500-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10115636. Licensed CC0.

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