LINK BETWEEN LEVELS OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES OR EVS IN THE BLOOD AND TISSUE DAMAGE CAUSED BY DISEASES Cellular couriers: Body’s ‘delivery trucks’ could lead to new cancer blood test
With
Dr Georgia Atkin-Smith, Senior Postdoctoral researcher and NHMRC Investigator Grant Research Fellow, WEHI, Melbourne, Australia
Associate Professor Edwin Hawkins, Laboratory Head, WEHI, Melbourne, Australia
CASE STUDY
Filmed in Melbourne | March 2025
A landmark study led by WEHI and La Trobe University has found a potential new diagnostic marker that could be used to better detect the level of tissue damage in our bodies.
This study revealed, for the first time, a link between levels of EVs in the blood and tissue damage caused by diseases such as leukaemia.
Researchers hope to leverage the critical new insight to develop a blood test to monitor cancer patients with tissue damage, which could, in future, enhance treatment strategies for blood cancers and other diseases.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are like small delivery trucks in the human body that are dispatched by our cells to distribute important materials like proteins, fats and genetic information to other cells.
This delivery system helps cells communicate with each other, especially when they are under stress or dying.
Research into how EVs form and their link to disease progression is challenging because of their small size, with most studies restricted to a ‘cells-in-a-dish’ approach.
In an unprecedented study, researchers were able to overcome this significant barrier by imaging live EVs inside the bone marrow of mice.
The study involved a significant collaboration with Professor Ivan Poon, Director of the La Trobe Research Centre for Extracellular Vesicles (RCEV) – the largest group of EV researchers in the Southern Hemisphere.
The WEHI research team is now assessing whether EVs can be used as a biomarker in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. They hope to develop new tools and techniques that would allow clinicians to determine the impact of disease on healthy tissue, and assess the disease progression by analysing patient samples.
The study, published in Nature Communications Oct 2024, also involved collaborations with the University of Melbourne, The Florey, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Monash University.
The research was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, CASS Foundation, Jack Brockhoff Foundation, L’Oreal UNESCO For Women in Science, Victorian Cancer Agency, a Sir Clive McPherson Family Fellowship and a Rae Foundation grant.
Source: WEHI News
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Dr Rithin Nedumannil (MBBS, MPH, FRACP, FRCPA) is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, undertaking his doctoral studies in collaboration with the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (Cambridge, UK) and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Melbourne, Australia). He is a clinical haematologist and haematopathologist with current appointments at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Austin Health and Northern Health.
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Professor Stuart Brierley is Director of the Visceral Pain Research Group, Director of the Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, and Theme co-Leader of Lifelong Health at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
Prof Brierley is an international expert on the ‘gut-brain axis’ and chronic visceral pain mechanisms. Current investigations are on a individual cell type called the enterochromaffin cell, and it helps signal pain and anxiety from the gastrointestinal tract to the brain.
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Associate Professor Bernadette Fitzgibbon is a neuroscientist with several decades of experience in researching, developing, and translating novel therapies for mental health and chronic pain conditions. This includes the application and optimisation of brain stimulation and psychedelic therapies, overseeing large multi-site intervention trials, both within Australia and abroad. Through her work, she has developed meaningful collaborations with consumers, volunteers, policy makers, and services providers, ensuring that the outcomes of her work contribute towards real-world clinical impact.
