A Pretreatment‐Free, Polymer‐Based Platform Prepared by Molecular Imprinting and Post‐Imprinting Modifications for Sensing Intact Exosomes

Making a good impression: A novel pretreatment‐free fluorescence‐based sensing platform for intact exosomes was prepared by using molecular imprinting and post‐imprinting modifications, in which exchangeable antibodies and fluorescent reporter molecules were aligned only inside exosome‐binding cavities. The resulting high sensitivity enabled exosome detection without sample pretreatment. The system was used to distinguish cancer‐secreted exosomes from normal ones.

Abstract

Exosomes are small (30–100 nm) membrane vesicles that serve as regulatory agents for intercellular communication in cancers. Currently, exosomes are detected by immuno‐based assays with appropriate pretreatments like ultracentrifugation and are time consuming (>12 h). We present a novel pretreatment‐free fluorescence‐based sensing platform for intact exosomes, wherein exchangeable antibodies and fluorescent reporter molecules were aligned inside exosome‐binding cavities. Such antibody‐containing fluorescent reporter‐grafted nanocavities were prepared on a substrate by well‐designed molecular imprinting and post‐imprinting modifications to introduce antibodies and fluorescent reporter molecules only inside the binding nanocavities, enabling sufficiently high sensitivity to detect intact exosomes without pretreatment. The effectiveness of the system was demonstrated by using it to discriminate between normal exosomes and those originating from prostate cancer and analyze exosomes in tear drops.

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