Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid-based membrane vesicles which are released by the cell either constitutively or in a regulated manner.
EVs carry a specific subset of proteins, RNAs, lipids and metabolites which reflect their originating cell type and their condition. The Evs found in biofluids contain a rich source of information about the cellular processes in both health and disease, and are very promising for diagnostic purposes. In this project, the aim is to standardize EV fractionation techniques and to quantify EV subsets and RNA profiles of EVs in a healthy individuals to set the baseline of the natural variation. Therefore, a unique longitudinal follow-up study will be
performed to assess this variability and be linked with a wide variety
of health parameters. In addition, the variability in EV subpopulations and RNA profiles will be investigated in different stages of prostate cancer.