TABLE 1.

Comparison of the main highly sensitive EV analysis methods

Method	Sample preparation	Counting	Information about shape	Marker-based phenotyping
Electron Microscopy EVs are fixed to a substrate, labeled and scanned with electron microscopy	Difficult	Semi-quantitative	Yes	Limited
Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis Particle size is estimated based on the particle’s Brownian motion detected by laser scattering	Easy, but requires the right sample concentration	Quantitative	No	Limited
Dynamic Light Scattering Laser scattering from suspended particles is detected over time	Requires monodisperse suspension	Quantitative	No	No
Ultrasensitive Flow Cytometry Fluorescent signal is detected of EVs passing by the detector	Easy, but sensitive to sample concentration	Semi-quantitative	No	Yes
Imaging Cytometry (Amnis) Fluorescent image is captured of EVs passing by the detector	Easy, least sensitive to sample concentration	Quantitative	Yes, limited by optical resolution	Yes