Extracellular vesicles are rapidly purified from human plasma by PRotein Organic Solvent PRecipitation (PROSPR).

Data from ProteomeXchange, PXD ID: PXD002668. File: UltraCushion_R1_28.mzml. Published as part of Sci Rep. 2015 Sep 30;5:14664 . From the Abstract: {{i}} Extracellular vesicles (EVs) such as exosomes and microvesicles mediate intercellular communication and regulate a diverse range of crucial biological processes. Host cells that are damaged, infected or transformed release biomarker-containing EVs into the peripheral circulation, where they can be readily accessed for use in diagnostic or prognostic testing. However, current methods of EV isolation from blood plasma are complex and often require relatively large sample volumes, hence are inefficient for widespread use in clinical settings. Here, we report a novel and inexpensive method of rapidly isolating EVs from small volumes of human blood plasma by PRotein Organic Solvent PRecipitation (PROSPR). PROSPR encompasses a rapid three-step protocol to remove soluble proteins from plasma via precipitation in cold acetone, leaving the lipid-encapsulated EVs behind in suspension. {{/i}