Early-stage multi-cancer detection through a plasma extracellular vesicle protein signature
- Author(s)
- Lobb, RJ; Zhou, Q; Fielding, D; Visan, KS; Wuethrich, A; Wang, J; Hu, Y; Norris, EL; Hastie, ML; Everitt, S; Parris, B; Aoude, LG; Bonazzi, VF; Nixon, E; Mooi, J; Koo, KM; O'Byrne, K; Kulasinghe, A; Bowman, RV; Yang, IA; Corcoran, NM; Hovens, CM; MacManus, M; Gorman, JJ; Day, BW; Hartel, G; Whiteman, DC; Tebbutt, N; Mariadason, JM; Fong, KM; Barbour, AP; Trau, M; Möller, A;
- Journal Title
- Cell Reports Medicine
- Publication Type
- Online publication before print
- Abstract
- Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) offer a promising, non-invasive method for cancer detection. Despite global research efforts, successful translation of sEV-based diagnostics remains limited. In this study, we identify a 4-protein sEV biomarker panel (thrombospondin-1, nidogen-1, pentraxin-3, and versican) based on proteomic profiles obtained from an isogenic cancer cell line model. The panel's performance is validated across 22 cancer cell lines and 764 retrospective plasma/serum samples spanning multiple cancer types, yielding robust performance (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.91-1.00). To facilitate clinical application, we develop a multiplex sEV device that integrates nanoshearing-based microfluidics and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for simultaneous detection of the 4-protein panel. Using this device on a prospective cohort of 68 patients, we accurately differentiate between benign lung changes and early-stage lung cancer. These findings underscore the potential of sEVs as diagnostic markers for cancer screening. Furthermore, the multiplex microfluidic device's scalability, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness indicate feasibility for large-scale population screening.
- Keywords
- extracellular vesicles; liquid biopsy; lung cancer screening; microfluidics; miniaturized biosensor; multi-cancer early diagnosis; surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
- Department(s)
- Radiation Oncology
- Publisher's Version
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102694
- Open Access at Publisher's Site
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102694- Terms of Use/Rights Notice
- Refer to copyright notice on published article.
Creation Date: 2026-04-07 12:09:46
Last Modified: 2026-04-14 03:18:19