Multiple exosome RNA analysis methods for lung cancer diagnosis through integrated on-chip microfluidic system

Exosomes are now raising focus as a prospective biomarker for cancer diagnostics and prognosis owing to its unique bio-origin and composition. Exosomes take part in cellular communication and receptor mediation and transfer their cargos (e.g., proteins, mRNA and DNA). Quantitative analysis of tumor-related nucleic acid mutations can be a potential method to cancer diagnosis and prognosis in early stages. Here we present an integrated microfluidic system for exosome on-chip isolation and lung cancer RNA analysis through droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Gradient dilution experiments show great linearity over a large concentration range with R-2 = 0.9998. Utilizing the system, four cell lines and two mutation targets were parallelly detected for mutation analysis. The experiments demonstrated mutation heterogeneity and the results were agree with cell researches. These results proved our integrated microfluidic system as a promising means for early cancer diagnosis and prognosis in the era of liquid biopsy. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Automated summary

Exosomes, as a unique biomarker, have potential applications in cancer diagnostics and prognosis. This study presents an integrated microfluidic system for on-chip isolation of exosomes and RNA analysis of lung cancer using droplet digital PCR. The experiments demonstrate the system's high linearity and sensitivity, making it a promising tool for early cancer diagnosis and prognosis.