PhD Scientific Days 2025

Poster Session I. - D: Pathological and Oncological Sciences

Identifying tumor-associated differences in EV populations via microfluidic techniques

Name of the presenter

Bányai Gréta Lilla

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics (ITK)

Authors

Gréta Lilla Bányai¹, Dorottya Mezey¹, Zsófia Imre¹, Afrodité Németh¹, András Merényi², András Szabó¹, Anikó Gaál³, Zsófia Molnár¹, Tamás Garay^1,4

1: Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics
2: Semmelweis University, Department of Emergency Medicine, , Budapest, Hungary
3: Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry - Biological Nanochemistry Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
4: Semmelweis University, Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology - Division of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary

Text of the abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano- and microparticles secreted by nearly all cell types,
playing a key role in intercellular communication. Due to their ability to reflect the physiological
state of their cells of origin, EVs are increasingly recognized as promising biomarkers for early
cancer diagnostics. This study explores whether a microfluidic approach, based on diffusion-
related particle properties, can reveal distinguishing patterns among cancer patient groups using
plasma-derived extracellular vesicles.
EVs were isolated from blood plasma using SEC, then introduced into a polydimethylsiloxane
(PDMS) microfluidic device using syringe pumps. The EV-containing sample was injected through
the central inlet, while PBS served as sheath fluid, flowing along both channel sides to
hydrodynamically focus the sample stream. Fluorescent protein labeling was used to visualize
and quantify the vertical separation of EVs across the microchannel during flow. The
microfluidic signal profiles were compared across disease groups to evaluate their diagnostic
potential. Additional analyses included hemoglobin measurement from plasma (Nanodrop), total
protein quantification (Qubit), lipid content assessment (SPV assay), and particle concentration
and size distribution via nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA).
No significant differences were observed between the three tumor groups in hemoglobin, protein,
lipid levels, or particle size distributions. However, fluorescence intensity curves recorded during
microfluidic analysis showed consistent differences in growth kinetics, particularly between
prostate and pancreatic cancer patients. These findings may reflect broader, systemic alterations
in EV biogenesis or release associated with cancer, rather than solely differences in the
proportion of tumor-derived vesicles.