Periodic Reporting for period 1 - VOLATEVS (Analysis of the volatile organic compounds emitted by extracellular vesicles for disease diagnosis)
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-10-31
This project aims to investigate the potential of analysing the volatile organic compounds emitted by extracellular vesicles as an innovative approach for disease diagnostic.
The extracellular vesicles are particles naturally released from cells, which can be found in many biological samples. They have the capacity to transfer information to other cells and influence recipient cell function.
In this project, extracellular vesicles will be isolated from different biological samples, such as cancer cells, serum and urine.
The results obtained in this project will ultimately allow assessing if the volatile organic compounds emitted by extracellular vesicles can provide additional information for disease diagnosis complementing the analysis of the biological samples from which they are extracted.
The extracellular vesicles are particles naturally released from cells, which can be found in many biological samples. They have the capacity to transfer information to other cells and influence recipient cell function.
In this project, extracellular vesicles will be isolated from different biological samples, such as cancer cells, serum and urine.
The results obtained in this project will ultimately allow assessing if the volatile organic compounds emitted by extracellular vesicles can provide additional information for disease diagnosis complementing the analysis of the biological samples from which they are extracted.
The main achievements of the project during the 1st reporting period are the elaboration of the protocols for extracellular vesicles isolation and characterisation, and for the analysis of the volatiles emitted by extracellular vesicles employing the gas chromatography mass spectrometry and vibrational spectroscopy techniques. Based on these protocols, extracellular vesicles were isolated from different cell lines and urine samples. Gas chromatography analysis of the volatiles emitted by extracellular vesicles isolated from various cell lines and urine samples were performed, as well as preliminary ATR-FTIR measurements of the volatiles released by the extracellular vesicles isolated from a cell line and urine samples. Sensor substrates of various configurations were designed and fabricated, and different sensing nanomaterials (organically-capped gold nanoparticles, conducting polymers combined with porphyrins) were deposited and characterised. An electronic nose system comprising an array of ten gas sensors based on conducting polymers combined with porphyrins was fabricated and employed for the analysis of the volatile compounds emitted by the extracellular vesicles isolated from various cell lines. Algorithms for automatic chromatographic peak detection and matching, and for the detection of overlapping FTIR signals, were developed.
1. Proof-of-concept demonstration of the suitability of the analysis of the volatile compounds emitted by extracellular vesicles with analytical, vibrational spectroscopy and electronic nose systems - Impact: Implementation of a new research line in volatolomics analysis applied to the extracellular vesicles field.
2. Assessment of the analysis of the volatile compounds emitted by the extracellular vesicles isolated from various cell lines as a new tool in disease diagnosis - Impact: Possibility of development of a new diagnostic tool for cancer diaagnosis.
2. Assessment of the analysis of the volatile compounds emitted by the extracellular vesicles isolated from various cell lines as a new tool in disease diagnosis - Impact: Possibility of development of a new diagnostic tool for cancer diaagnosis.