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Published in: Clinical and Translational Medicine 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Review

Extracellular vesicles as circulating cancer biomarkers: opportunities and challenges

Authors: R. E. Lane, D. Korbie, M. M. Hill, M. Trau

Published in: Clinical and Translational Medicine | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small, lipid-bound particles containing nucleic acid and protein cargo which are excreted from cells under a variety of normal and pathological conditions. EVs have garnered substantial research interest in recent years, due to their potential utility as circulating biomarkers for a variety of diseases, including numerous types of cancer. The following review will discuss the current understanding of the form and function of EVs, their specific role in cancer pathogenesis and their potential for non-invasive disease diagnosis and/or monitoring. This review will also highlight several key issues for this field, including the importance of implementing robust and reproducible sample handling protocols, and the challenge of extracting an EV-specific biomarker signal from a complex biological background.
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Metadata
Title
Extracellular vesicles as circulating cancer biomarkers: opportunities and challenges
Authors
R. E. Lane
D. Korbie
M. M. Hill
M. Trau
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Clinical and Translational Medicine / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 2001-1326
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40169-018-0192-7

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