Marni Boppart (left) and Natalia Krawczynska..The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles published new research guidelines on February 13, 2024, that will standardize and enable collaboration across different institutions.
The guidelines, titled the Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles, or MISEV, were accepted by the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.
Marni Boppart, a Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology faculty member and a professor of kinesiology and community health, and Beckman Institute Postdoctoral Fellow Natalia Krawczynska are co-authors included in the MISEV Consortium on the published guidelines.
Boppart and Krawczynska provided input on the nearly 40-page document that provides guidance for researchers on extracellular vesicle nomenclature, collection and processing, separation and concentration, characterization and functionality, and more.
“EVs will be a powerful biological tool for disease diagnosis and therapy in the future,” Boppart said. “We developed a working group at the Beckman Institute which has now grown to more than 100 members from across campus to help address questions about EVs. The MISEV is an important document that guides our efforts in this emerging area of research.”
The study of EVs — nanosized particles that are naturally released from almost all types of cells into the extracellular space — has changed substantially in the last 15 to 20 years. It was long thought that the expulsion of these particles was simply a waste disposal system for degraded molecules. But scientists in the 1980s documented that cells use EVs to talk to other nearby or distal cells, providing the basis for cell-to-cell communication. The field has quickly ballooned, and researchers have been challenged with the ability to properly isolate and study EVs.
That’s why the MISEV was originally published in 2014, revised 2018, and newly revised in 2024.
Krawczynska only started working with EVs in 2020. Currently, she studies the role of EVs in the progression of metastatic breast cancer. She admits that there’s a lot to learn about the isolation and processing of EVs, and the MISEV publication can help researchers answer practical questions.
According to Krawczynska, the guidelines will not only apply to active researchers, but provide insight for researchers new to the field who don’t have as much experience working with extracellular vesicles but are interested in learning more and entering the space.
“The community took the time and effort — over three years to create the guidelines — in order to create a pathway to work with EVs,” Krawczynska said. “Anyone interested in the Illinois community can reach out to the working group at the Beckman Institute to learn more.”
Editor's notes:
The full guidelines, titled "Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches," can be accessed at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10850029/
Reach Marni Boppart at mboppart@illinois.edu
Reach Natalia Krawczynska at nataliak@illinois.edu
Media contact: Jenna Kurtzweil, kurtzwe2@illinois.edu
