# Decoding Individual Exosomes in Cancer

> **NIH NIH R21** · NUMENTUS TECHNOLOGIES INC. · 2022 · $226,273

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 There is increasing recognition that extracellular vesicles (EVs)¾micrometer- or nanometer-sized lipid
particles containing protein and nucleic acid cargoes (information)¾are highly promising for new
diagnostics/prognostics and even have therapeutic value. There is, however, an unmet need for methods able
to solve a fundamental problem confounding the exploitation of EV information in biology and medicine¾EVs
are naturally highly heterogeneous particles. In this pilot (R21) project, our experimental goal is to address the
need for analyzing EV heterogeneity (subpopulations) by focusing on particles called exosomes. Specifically,
our new technology platform is designed to address the problem of resolving bulk exosomal subpopulations by
directly correlating surface protein and nucleic acid (microRNA or miRNA) cargoes of single exosomes by
performing highly multiplexed fluorescence imaging analysis. Our ultimate goal is to develop a unique imaging
platform for the high-throughput, high-content analysis of the protein and nucleic acid cargoes of single
exosomes (and other EVs) obtained from any biological sample. This new platform could enable novel
diagnostic/prognostic “liquid biopsy” tests for managing cancers as well as other pathologies, such as
neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.
 To achieve our experimental goal, in the work for Aims 1 and 2 we will develop and optimize our imaging
platform for experimental multiplexed analysis of human breast cancer cell exosomes and their miRNA
cargoes. These Aims will validate our platform for in situ miRNA analysis of single exosomes from cancer cells
with documented exosomal miRNA signatures. During Aim 3, we will use the validated platform to correlate
the surface protein display and miRNA cargo of individual exosomes released by human breast cancer cell
lines representing early- and late-stage cancers and compare these with a normal cell line control. Aim 3 will
test the capability of our platform to resolve exosomal subpopulations in an original bulk sample, based on
correlated signals for surface proteins and miRNA cargoes of single exosomes.
 We propose that our novel imaging platform has the potential to become a new diagnostic/prognostic tool
for the clinical management of breast cancer, other tumor types, and other pathologies in which EV/exosomal
analysis could provide clinically useful information. Recent research demonstrates that breast-cancer-cell-
derived exosomes can transport cargoes that promote oncogenic or malignant phenotypes. Thus, exosomes
released from breast tumors could carry information with critical diagnostic/prognostic value, which could be
sampled from blood or other patient fluids (a “liquid biopsy”). This capability may also assist in developing
exosome-based therapies for human tumor types.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440265
- **Project number:** 5R21CA236686-02
- **Recipient organization:** NUMENTUS TECHNOLOGIES INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** GREGORY W FARIS
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $226,273
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440265

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440265, Decoding Individual Exosomes in Cancer (5R21CA236686-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440265. Licensed CC0.

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