Table 1.

Summary of small extracellular vesicle analysis methods in breast cancer research

Detection technique	Detection material	Advantage	Reference
SP-IRIS	Concentration and size distribution	High throughput and sensitive detection of single EVs	[92]
HSFCM	Specific EV population and size distribution	Multiparameter analysis of single EVs as small as 40 nm and analysis 10 000 particles per minute	[94]
FAVS	Specific EV population	High sensitivity, speedy detection, and elimination of background noise	[95, 111]
hFCM	Specific EV population	Low detection limit and multiparameter qualitative analysis	[96]
nFCM	Specific EV population	Analysation of EVs smaller than 40 nm, high throughput, and high resolution with multiparametric scattered light to detect individual EVs	[99, 100, 112]
dSTORM	Three-dimensional shape of sEVs	Imaging resolution of approximately 20 nm, inexpensive equipment	[106, 113]
Droplet digital ExoELISA	Absolute quantification of sEVs	Detection of maximum 5 sEVs per microliter of samples with high sensitivity and specificity, absolute quantification of targeting sEVs	[107]
DPPIE	Multi-quantification of surface protein of sEVs	Analysation of muti-protein expression in individual sEVs with high sensitivity and small volume of samples, and no purification step required	[108]
ddPCR	Quantify RNAs from single sEVs	Absolute quantification of rare targets	[114]

Abbreviations: ddPCR droplet digital PCR, DPPIE Digital profiling of proteins on individual sEVs, Droplet digital ExoELISA Droplet-based single-exosome-counting enzyme-linked immunoassay, dSTORM direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy, EV Extracellular vesicle, FAVS Fluorescence-activated vesicle sorting, hFCM high-resolution flow cytometer, HSFCM High-sensitivity flow cytometer, nFCM nano-flow cytometer, SP-IRIS Single particle interferometric reflectance imaging sensor