Extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as exosomes, are involved in more than just eliminating waste products from the body; they also serve as mediators of intercellular communication. The properties of EVs and their contents (nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, etc.) vary depending on the cell that secretes them. In liquid biopsy, a procedure for diagnosing diseases using body fluid samples, these cell-derived EVs and their contents are being explored as potential biomarkers.

The development and practical application of liquid biopsy require technology capable of efficiently isolating and purifying EVs from numerous samples. However, conventional methods, like ultracentrifugation, are limited in the number of samples that can be processed simultaneously. Consequently, the isolation and purification of EVs from many samples using these methods takes considerable time and effort.

To address this, Fujifilm Wako has developed the MagCapture™ EV Isolation Kit PS for HTS, compatible with automated extraction devices such as KingFisher™ Flex (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.), commonly used for nucleic acid and protein extraction. This kit, utilizing the PS affinity method1)--a proprietary EV isolation and purification technique developed in collaboration with Prof. Hanayama of Kanazawa University--enables the isolation and purification of high-purity EVs with minimal damage from up to 96 samples at once using automated extraction equipment.