Figure 4. Profiling of ovarian cancer patient exosomes with nPLEX.

(a) A photograph of nPLEX chip integrated with a multi-channel microfluidic cell for independent and parallel analyses. (Right) Transmission intensities of 12 × 3 nanohole arrays were measured simultaneously using the imaging setup. (b) Ascites-derived exosomes from ovarian cancer and non-cancer patients were evaluated by the nPLEX sensor. Cancer exosomes were captured on EpCAM and CD24-specific sensor sites, which led to intensity changes in the transmitted light. (c) Exosomal protein levels of EpCAM and CD24 in ascites samples from patients were measured by nPLEX. Ovarian cancer patient samples (n = 20) were associated with elevated EpCAM and CD24 levels, while non-cancer patients (n = 10) showed negligible signals. (d) Longitudinal monitoring of treatment responses. Ascites samples were collected from ovarian cancer patients before and after chemotherapy (n = 8) and profiled with nPLEX. The bars represent the changes in CD24 and EpCAM levels per exosome before and after treatment. All measurements in c-d were performed in triplicate and the data is displayed as mean ± s.d. a.u., arbitrary unit.