High-throughput single-EV liquid biopsy: Rapid, simultaneous, and multiplexed detection of nucleic acids, proteins, and their combinations

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), mRNA, and proteins in/on extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent potential cancer biomarkers. Concurrent detection of multiple biomarkers at a single-EV level would greatly improve prognosis and/or diagnosis and understanding of EV phenotypes, biogenesis, and functions. Here, we introduced a High-throughput Nano-bio Chip Integrated System for Liquid Biopsy (HNCIB) system for simultaneous detection of proteins and mRNA/miRNA in a single EV. Validated through systematic control experiments, HNCIB showed high reliability, sensitivity, and specificity. In a panel of 34 patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and 35 healthy donors, HNCIB detected an up-regulated expression of programmed death-ligand 1 mRNA and protein and miR-21 in EVs derived from patients with LUAD compared to those from healthy donors. HNCIB has low sample requirement (~90 μl), fast assay time (~6 hours), and high throughput (up to 384 samples per assay) and would have great potential in the study of EVs and their clinical applications.