"Various methods for their purification or capture (notably ultracentrifugation or lipid binding) have previously been developed, but these methods may be limited by the availability of equipment and/or questions regarding the specificity or thoroughness of captured material," he observes. "Our reagents are designed to bind specific proteins known to exist on the surface of exosomes and microvesicles. Vn96 attaches to circulating exosomes by binding surface heat shock proteins. With a simple mixture the reagents quickly and efficiently pellet the exosomes out of a variety of biological samples (urine, serum, saliva, cell-derived media, etc.). One can then either filter out pellet (exosomes) or perform a routine centrifuge step and draw off supernatant. We believe that Vn96, coupled with advancing genomic and proteomic biomarker research, will lead to a promising array of diagnostic applications for disease detection."  

 

NEP's goal is "for it to be the first step of a simple blood test that could provide early detection of hundreds of specific diseases, each with its own protein or nucleic acid profile, all performed as part of a routine physical in the doctor's office," says Massoni.

 

"A lot of research remains to be conducted, however, to be able to characterize those biomarkers into a specific profile of disease. There are also multiple methods of possible sample collection, the results of which need to be aligned with one another in order to make certain of the trustworthiness of any one sample type."

 

According to Dr. Rodney Ouellett, president and scientific director of ACRI, "You can think of microvesicles as a facsimile of a diseased cell that contains the same altered genes and proteins that you would find in a sample obtained from a surgical biopsy. Microvesicles circulate in blood or urine, so important diagnostic or prognostic information can be collected simply and used for either research or clinical analysis."

 

"This agreement is further evidence of New England Peptide's commitment to collaborate with its customers to develop and manufacture important research tools," Massoni states.  

 

NEP plans to manufacture the research-grade kit in its current Massachusetts facility. Massoni notes that ACRI and NEP are actively seeking collaborators for the clinical use of Vn96.  

 

The ACRI is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 and housed at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Centre focuses on the genetic origins of cancer and is pursuing three main areas of development: early screening; enhanced diagnosis and targeted treatment.