title: Extracellular vesicles such as prostate cancer cell fragments as a fluid biopsy for prostate cancer.
abstract: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived vesicles generated through a process of cell membrane shedding or storage vesicle release, as occurs during apoptosis, necrosis or exocytosis. Initially perceived as cellular by-products or 'dust' of insignificant biological importance, recent research has shed light on the role of EVs as mediators of intercellular communication, blood coagulation and disease progression. The prostate is a source of EVs and their abundance in complex biological fluids such as plasma, serum and urine make them compelling entities for a 'fluid biopsy'. As such, prostate cancer cell fragments (PCCF) are EVs generated by the tumor resident within the prostate and are also present in blood, expressing a portion of biomarkers representative of the primary tumor. High-throughput analytical techniques to determine biomarker expression on EVs is the last hurdle towards translating the full potential of prostate EVs for clinical use. We describe current state-of-the-art methods for the analysis of prostate-derived EVs in patient fluids such as plasma and the challenges that lie ahead in this emerging field of translational research.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada [2] Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Brett
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Biggs
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada [2] Department of Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada [2] Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Leong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D015415:Biomarkers; D002450:Cell Communication; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D055252:Cell-Derived Microparticles / Q000378:metabolism; D000067128:Extracellular Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers