ENRICHMENT AND ANALYSIS OF BREAST CANCER CELL-DERIVED EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES BY LASER-ASSISTED PROTEIN ADSORPTION IN THERMOPLASTIC MICROCHANNELS

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their cargo proteins, DNAs and RNAs are very promising biomarkers. Accessible through liquid biopsies, EVs can reveal valuable diagnostic information on the health or disease state of a patient. Here, we propose a method for the enrichment of cancer cell-derived EVs and subsequent on-chip cargo protein analysis in thermoplastic microchannels. For this purpose, we characterized and optimized a technique for localized multiplexed surface functionalization, referred to as laser-assisted protein adsorption after photobleaching (LAPAP). Using LAPAP, we successfully immobilized antibodies in defined areas of the device to capture and analyze EVs by immunoassays. We employ the method for the identification and quantification of MCF-7 cell-derived EVs and cancer-associated proteins.