Extracellular RNA Allows Researchers To “Listen In” on Cells’ Conversations for Improved Cancer Diagnosis

It has been known that ribonucleic acid (RNA) acts as a messenger inside the cells, translating genetic information from DNA to help cells make proteins. Recently, experts discovered that certain types of RNA called extracellular RNA (exRNA) travel outside the cell wall and rest inside a tiny carrier 'bottle.' This carrier delivers information to other cells by flowing along bodily fluids like a microscopic message in a bottle.

Role of exRNA in Diagnosing Diseases

The exRNA is a special form of RNA that can carry information about genes and metabolic regulation in the body. Its ability to reflect the real-time status of cells makes it a suitable biomarker for HIV, heart disease, cancer, and other life-threatening conditions.

Using exRNA in diagnosing a disease is more effective, faster, and cheaper than conventional methods. This is due to the availability of enough exRNA in a small blood or other bodily fluid sample to signal the presence of different diseases.

However, experts find it difficult to intercept and interpret exRNA messages. Some laboratories attempt to filter them from blood or other bodily fluids samples, while others use advanced centrifuge machines to isolate exRNA. These methods have low success rates since the different types of 'bottles' that carry exRNA messages overlap in size and weight.

Even the most advanced filters and centrifuge machines leave many carriers jumbled together. Laboratories that use these methods need to add other steps to further sort the pages into discrete groups.

Revolutionizing Disease Diagnosis

A radically new approach to utilizing exRNA was developed by chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Hsueh-Chia Chang from the University of Notre Dame. With his colleagues, Chang created a new device that employs a method for 'listening in' on cell conversations.

The novel technology combines pH and electrical charge to separate the carriers. It relies on the fact that even if the carriers overlap in size and weight, each type has a particular "isoelectric point." This is the level of acidity/basicity, which has no positive or negative charge.

Flowing through the middle of the device is a simple water stream. The left side of the stream is highly acidic, while the right side is highly basic. The pH gradient in the stream can be generated without adding any chemicals since it comes from a two-sided membrane powered by a specially designed chip.

Using this method, the research team generated samples with up to 97% purity in less than a milliliter of urine, saliva, or blood plasma. Unlike the conventional separation methods that take a day to achieve results, the new approach could sort the sample in just half an hour.

Noncommunicable diseases are responsible for over 70% of deaths worldwide, and cardiovascular diseases and cancer are responsible for the majority of them. The researchers believe that their innovative technology provides a way to improve the diagnosis of diseases, which, in turn, can save many lives.