Nobel Prize

The demand for technology that gives access to microvesicles is to a high extent due to Rothman, Schekman and Südhof’s discovery of microvesicles as transporters and communicators in the body. These three scientists received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research.

AcouTrap, the ideal solution for microvesicle separation

One of the significant challenges when working with microvesicle research is the task of isolating microvesicles from patent samples. Most often this is done by ultracentrifugation of the sample. However, ultracentrifugation is a tedious and quite rough process and recovery rates are often as low as 10-15%.

At Lund university, three research groups have since 2015 used each an AcouTrap system as their primary tool to isolate microvesicles. None of them will ever go back to ultracentrifugation! They typically achieve recovery rates in the 80-90% range with process times significantly shorter than required for ultracentrifugation.

Check out what microvesicle researchers say about the AcouTrap system here.

Microvesicle transport gives insight into disease processes

Each cell is a factory that produces and exports molecules. These molecules are then transported around the body in small packages called microvesicles. The three Nobel Laureates discovered the molecular principles that govern how this cargo is transported and delivered to the right place at the right time in the body. Disturbances in this precise control system can have serious effects and contribute to conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, diabetes, and immune disorders.