# Mechanisms of secretion and uptake of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

> **NIH NIH F31** · PURDUE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $46,036

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Small extracellular vesicles(sEVs), often referred as exosomes, are short- and long-distance mediators of
intercellular communication. Secretion of sEVs by cancer contributes to metastasis, chemoresistance, and
progression of cancer. Recent unpublished work in our lab revealed the impact of cancer-derived sEVs in
promoting invasion and disrupting the epithelial barrier of non-tumorigenic epithelial cells. Therefore, it is not
surprising that the study of sEVs in cancer has gained attention. Indeed, sEV secretion is upregulated in
cancer cells; however, specific mechanisms involved in the dysregulation of sEV secretion and biogenesis in
cancer cells is understudied. Therefore, the goal of this proposal is to identify new mechanism that modulate
secretion and uptake of cancer-derived sEVs. To further uncover the mechanism involved in cancer sEVs
dynamics, the proposal will address the following innovative aims. In aim 1, we will determine the impact of
mutant KRAS, one the most frequently altered oncogene in cancer, on the secretion and biogenesis of sEVs.
This aim will evaluate the hypothesis that mutant KRAS promotes the secretion of sEVs through impairment of
the sEVs biogenesis pathway. In aim 2, we will discover novel uptake pathways used by non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC) derived sEVs to enter non-tumorigenic cells. A CRISPR-based knockout screen will be
conducted to identify genes, that when lost, impair NSCLC sEVs uptake. With these studies we aim to
determine the mechanisms by which exosome-mediated cell-cell communication confers oncogenic properties
to the host cell. In addition to identifying new molecular mechanisms in cancer and sEVs biology this project
also includes a detailed career development plan that will provide Ms. Soto additional mentoring and training
that will support her transition into an independent investigator in the cancer biology field.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10152029
- **Project number:** 1F31CA257642-01
- **Recipient organization:** PURDUE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Zulaida Marie Soto Vargas
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $46,036
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-18 → 2024-08-17

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10152029

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10152029, Mechanisms of secretion and uptake of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (1F31CA257642-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10152029. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*