Advancements and Technical Considerations for Extracellular Vesicle Isolation and Biomarker Identification in Glioblastoma

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound particles released by all cells. Previous research has found that these microscopic vesicles contribute to intercellular signaling and communication. EVs carry a variety of cargo, including nucleic acids, proteins, metabolites, and lipids. The composition of EVs varies based on cell of origin. Therefore, EVs can serve as an important biomarker in the diagnosis and treatment of various cancers. EVs derived from glioblastoma (GBM) cells carry biomarkers, which could serve as the basis for a potential diagnostic strategy known as liquid biopsy. Multiple EV isolation techniques exist, including ultrafiltration, size exclusion chromatography, flow field-flow fractionation, sequential filtration, differential ultracentrifugation, and density-gradient ultracentrifugation. Recent and ongoing work aims to identify cellular markers to distinguish GBM-derived EVs from those released by noncancerous cells. Strategies include proteomic analysis of GBM EVs, identification of GBM-specific metabolites, and use of Food and Drug Administration-approved 5-aminolevulinic acid - an oral agent that causes fluorescence of GBM cells - to recognize GBM EVs in a patient's blood. In addition, accurately and precisely monitoring changes in EV cargo concentrations could help differentiate between pseudoprogression and GBM recurrence, thus preventing unnecessary surgical interventions.