Table 2.

Comparison of EV Isolation Methods.

Method	Sample Volume	Yield	Purity	Cost	Advantage	Disadvantage
UC	1–100 mL	++	++	+	No chemical additives	Time and labor intensive; Low throughput; EVs/protein aggregates
UF	Variety	++	+	++	Flexible volume; No chemical additives	Low purity; Low throughput; Efficiency dependent on the type of ultra-membrane
Precipitation	Variety	+++	+	+	Flexible volume; Time and labor saving; No expensive equipment needed	Low purity; Sample contamination by polymer particles; Co-isolation of nonspecific proteins; EV/protein aggregates
SEC	<10 mL	++	+++	+	High purity; Time saving; No chemical additives; Physiological buffer	Sample volume limited; Low throughput; Sample diluted
Immunoaffinity	<5 mL	+	+++	+++	High purity; Physiological buffer; Integration with downstream biological analysis	Sample volume limited; Low throughput; Very selective; Dependent on antibody/protein; Contaminated with antibody/protein; Pre-enrichment needed
AIEX	Variety	++	++	++	Label free; Flexible volume	Low throughput; Sample diluted
Microfluidic	<1 mL	++	N.A.	+++	Label free; Integration with downstream biological analysis	Sample volume extremely limited; Low throughput