Extracellular vesicles (EV) are membrane-enclosed particles released in body fluids that carry cell-specific molecular patterns. Knowledge on their origin, fate and function in the human body is required to develop clinical applications but hampered by technological pitfalls. The research group led by An Hendrix pioneered the EV research field by developing a supporting ecosystem to enable their analysis in human body fluids: 1) They created the EV-TRACK knowledgebase to stimulate transparency and steer reproducibility; 2) They designed recombinant EV, that are easily trackable and distinguishable from sample EV; 3) They established reproducible protocols to prepare EV from other interfering particles in body fluids. The research group implements this supporting ecosystem to pioneer the discovery of biomarkers and therapeutics for cancer patients.