Speakers

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important mediators of intercellular communication in cancer and hold considerable promise for precision diagnostics and therapeutics. However, the translational advancement of tumor-derived EVs has been persistently limited by three major challenges: their low abundance in complex biological samples, their extreme heterogeneity, and their tumorigenesis risks. These barriers have hindered the sensitive detection of rare tumor EV-associated biomarkers and the systematic understanding of how distinct EV components contribute to tumor progression and therapeutic response. In the past three years, our research has focused on addressing these challenges through a central scientific theme: to decode and reconstruct the functional and translational value of tumor EVs using ultrasensitive and spatially resolved technologies. Rather than treating EV heterogeneity solely as a technical obstacle, we regard it as a biologically meaningful feature that can be harnessed to reveal hidden layers of tumor biology and therapeutic opportunity (Molecular Pharmaceutics, 2024, Cover Story).​

To this end, my group has established a series of innovative EV technology platforms. First, we developed EV-Simoa (eSimoa), an ultrasensitive EV protein analysis platform that integrates single-molecule array technology with spatial protein decoding (Advanced Science, 2024, Front Cover Story). This platform enables single-molecule-level quantification of EV-associated proteins while distinguishing proteins on the EV surface from those within the EV lumen, thereby providing a new framework for high-resolution functional analysis of rare tumor EVs. Second, we established SWITCHER, a platform for isolating biologically distinct EV subpopulations based on defined surface proteins (Small, 2025). This approach enables selective enrichment and analysis of specific EV subsets while preserving their structural and molecular integrity. Third, we developed CLEAR, a strategy that selectively removes luminal oncogenic cargo from tumor EVs while preserving membrane structure and targeting-associated surface components (Advanced Functional Materials, 2025, Front Cover Story). This technology creates an opportunity to transform naturally tumor-homing EVs into safer and more controllable nanocarriers. By integrating these platforms, we further proposed the concept of the EV Bimodal Functional Regulator (eBFR), which systematically decodes and modulates the distinct yet interactive roles of EV surface and luminal components. Together, these advances establish an original and translationally relevant framework for tumor EV research, with broad implications for next-generation liquid biopsy, precision drug delivery, and personalized cancer medicine​.​​​​​​​