# Development and application of asymmetric-flow field-flow (AF4) technology in fractionation and characterization of exosome subpopulations and novel nanoveiscles in pancreatic cancer model

> **NIH NIH R01** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2021 · $443,445

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Exosome research has grown exponentially due to the recognition of the potential roles of exosomes in
pathophysiological processes, including cancer. However, due to technical challenges, isolated nanovesicles
constitute a heterogeneous population and this has hindered our understanding of their biogenesis, molecular
composition, biodistribution, and functions in vivo, and has limited their translational application. The state-of-
the-art technology, asymmetric-flow field-flow fractionation (AF4), exhibits unique capability to separate
nanoparticles and has been widely utilized to characterize nanoparticles and polymers in the pharmaceutical
industry as well as various biological macromolecules, protein complexes and viruses. The objective of this
study is to develop and validate the application of AF4 in exosome isolation and identification of novel
nanovesicles using pancreatic cancer as a model system. We will evaluate its application in analyzing
exosomes isolated from a panel of established human pancreatic cancer cell lines (Aim 1). We will further
develop and optimize the AF4 methodology to apply it to complex biological specimens such as blood plasma
from human subjects (Aim 2). Lastly, we will validate the AF4 application for the fractionation and
characterization of distinct exosome subpopulations and identification of other novel nanovesicles using
specimens (blood plasma and tumor tissues) isolated from pancreatic patients with newly diagnosed disease
and at different stages of disease as well as patients undergoing treatment (Aim 3). We predict that AF4 in
combination with sensitive molecular assays can serve as an improved analytical tool for the isolation of
specific nanovesicle subpopulations, thereby addressing the complexities of vesicle heterogeneity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10192677
- **Project number:** 5R01CA218513-05
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID CHARLES LYDEN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $443,445
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-15 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10192677

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10192677, Development and application of asymmetric-flow field-flow (AF4) technology in fractionation and characterization of exosome subpopulations and novel nanoveiscles in pancreatic cancer model (5R01CA218513-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10192677. Licensed CC0.

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