Extracellular Vesicles/Exosomes Asia 2025

Coffee, Tea and Networking in the Exhibit Hall
展示ホールでのコーヒー・ティー・ネットワーキング

Chairperson's Opening Remarks
議長による開会の挨拶

Mei He, Associate Professor, University of Florida, United States of America

Chairperson's Welcome and Introduction to the Conference and Topics Addressed
議長による歓迎と会議の紹介、会議で取り上げられるトピック

Andreas Möller, Professor, Director, JC STEM Lab of Personalized Cancer Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Translation of Extracellular Vesicles from Bench to Bedside
細胞外小胞（EV）における基礎研究から臨床（B2B）への応用

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) present a huge, yet largely untapped resource for disease diagnostics and therapeutics. While significant advancements have been made in bench-based investigations, these have largely not yet been successfully translated to clinical or commercial applications. In the context of cancer, the evaluation of EV cargo composition changes allowed us to develop highly sensitive, liquid biopsy diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In this presentation, the translational work, including the validation in retrospective patient cohorts and prospective trials will be discussed. Some of the technical and logistic challenges faced when transitioning bench methods to bedside applications, and their implementation into a hospital setting, will be highlighted.

Hang Hubert Yin, Professor, Tsinghua University, China

Exploring the Frontiers of EV Research by Bridging Basic Science and Biomedical Applications
基礎科学とバイオメディカル応用の橋渡しにより、EV研究の最前線を探る

We have been focusing on the mechanistic studies of extracellular vesicles (EVs) by investigating their roles in innate immunity and cell-cell communications. For example, we have found that transport of ODN and Cdc42 from TLR9-activated macrophages to naïve cells via EVs exerts synergetic effects in propagation of the intracellular immune response, suggesting a general mechanism of EV-mediated uptake of pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Furthermore, these EVs may render an emerging disease biomarker that possesses tremendous theranostic potential. Nonetheless, the secretion of EVs cannot be monitored using traditional detection methods due to their small sizes. We developed an innovative strategy to target and capture EVs from various metastatic cancers using rationally designed peptide probes that recognize highly curved surface of these disease related EVs. These peptide probes also provide tools to selectively target cancer cells with specific lipid compositions and distributions, laying the foundation for further development of the next-generation of diagnostics and prognostics.

Han Wei Hou, Associate Professor, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore

Label-Free Microfluidics Technologies for Extracellular Vesicles Isolation
細胞外小胞（EV）分離に対するラベルフリーマイクロ流体技術

Emerging biomarkers including extracellular vesicles (EVs) and microRNAs have shown great potential in blood-based diagnostics. However their detection is often confounded by delayed blood processing and cellular contamination due to non-standardized centrifugation practices which may cause large variations in plasma quality. Conventional EV isolation methods using ultracentrifugation, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and tangential flow filtration (TFF) are manual, time-consuming and require plasma as input sample. In this talk, I will highlight the development of several label-free microfluidic tools from our lab for EV sample preparation. We will first present a high throughput (~10 mins/per mL of whole blood) and gentle microfluidic sorting technology (ExoArc) for single-step plasma extraction from whole blood. With a size cut-off of 500 nm based on particle inertial focusing effects, ExoArc-isolated plasma is completely cell-free, platelet-free and highly enriched in EVs. When coupled with SEC, this centrifugation-free workflow (< 1 hr) greatly improves EV yield while reducing formation of EV aggregation and platelet-derived EVs as compared to ultracentrifugation. To address the bottleneck of protein contamination, we also developed a microfluidic SEC device (µSEC) integrated with an on-chip nanoliter sample plug injection to separate EVs from plasma proteins under continuous flow. We envision that μSEC system can be readily automated and integrated with ExoArc and downstream EV detection or assays for real time monitoring tool in EVs manufacturing or EV-based clinical applications.

Mid-Morning Coffee and Tea Break and Networking in the Exhibit Hall
展示ホールでの午前のコーヒー・ティーブレイク、ネットワーキング

Keynote Presentation
基調講演

Takahiro Ochiya, Distinguished Professor, Tokyo Medical University, Japan

Study of Common Mechanisms of Cancer EV Secretion
がんEV分泌における共通メカニズムの研究

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are involved in intercellular communication during cancer progression; thus, elucidating the mechanism of EV secretion in cancer cells will contribute to the development of an EV-targeted cancer treatment. However, the common mechanisms of biogenesis of EVs in cancer cells is not fully understood. Here we present microRNA library screening allowed elucidating some specific microRNAs which are significantly involved in cancer EVs secretion and their molecular targets are contributed to cancer progression such as metastasis and drug resistance.

Networking Lunch in the Exhibit Hall -- Network with Colleagues, View Posters and Engage with Exhibitors
展示ホールでのネットワーキングランチ -- 同僚との情報交換、ポスター閲覧、出展者との交流

**Japanese Bento Lunch**
**和食弁当**

Banishree Saha, Associate Director, Early Clinical Development, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, United States of America

Extracellular Vesicles as Biomarkers: A New Frontier in Medical Diagnostics
バイオマーカーとしての細胞外小胞（EV）：医療診断の新たなフロンティア

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) represent an exciting frontier in medical diagnostics, offering unique potential as biomarkers for various diseases, including liver disease. These nano-sized vesicles, secreted by cells, carry proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids that reflect the physiological state of their parent cells. Emerging research highlights their role in intercellular communication and their potential for disease detection and monitoring. Advancements in EV isolation and characterization techniques have demonstrated their application in diagnosing conditions such as cancer, neurological disorders, infectious diseases, and liver disease. With their non-invasive nature and ability to support early detection, EV-based diagnostics align closely with the goals of precision medicine. This discussion will explore the advancements, challenges, and future directions in integrating EV-based diagnostics into clinical practice to enhance early, accurate, and efficient disease detection.

Nao Nishida-Aoki, Assistant Professor, Waseda Institute for Advanced Studies (WIAS), Waseda University, Japan

Spatiotemporal Visualization of Extracellular Vesicle Transfer at Early Metastatic Niche
転移初期ニッチにおける細胞外小胞（EV）移動の時空間可視化

Cancer cells actively reprogram surrounding non-malignant cells into tumor-supportive phenotypes to initiate metastatic growth in distant organs. To investigate the role of cancer extracellular vesicles (EVs) in this early microenvironmental remodeling, we established organotypic ex vivo models of breast cancer metastasis using organotypic tissue slice cultures (TSCs) from mouse brain and lungs. By combining these models with two-photon microscopy and HaloTag-labeled EVs, we achieved real-time visualization of EV secretion within native tissue architecture. We observed heterogeneous EV distributions and organ-specific uptake by different cell populations. These findings reveal selective EV targeting mechanisms potentially contributing to organ tropism during metastatic colonization. This approach provides a powerful platform to dissect the spatiotemporal dynamics of EV-mediated microenvironment formation in physiologically relevant contexts.

Danilo Tagle, Director, Office of Special Initiatives, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the NIH (NCATS), United States of America

Site-specific Targeting for Drug Delivery and EV Therapeutics in Regenerative Medicine
再生医療におけるドラッグデリバリー・EV医薬向けの部位特異的ターゲティング

Mid-Afternoon Coffee and Tea Break in the Exhibit Hall and Networking with Exhibitors and Poster Presenters
展示ホールでの午後のコーヒー・ティーブレイク、出展者やポスター発表者とのネットワーキング

Keynote Presentation
基調講演

Mei He, Associate Professor, University of Florida, United States of America

Bioengineering of Extracellular Vesicles for Precision Medicine
精密医療向けの胞外小胞（EV）のバイオエンジニアリング

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized membrane particles, which have been recognized as the ideal alternative for drug delivery and therapeutic development. EVs are secreted from live cells with minimal toxicity and immunogenicity to in vivo systems, and enable the delivery of a variety of large size payloads including CRISPR Cas9/sgRNA RNP complexes. Recent discoveries also showed the strong ability of EVs to cross difficult biological barriers. However, the heterogeneity of EV surface presentation and diverse molecular makeup make them difficult to study. We reported novel molecular engineering and microfluidic approaches for surface modification, intravesicular payload loading, and biomarker discovery. Particularly, the CRISPR gene editing, and AI directed extracellular vesicle surface engineering overcome the current challenge in tissue targeting specificity in the field, which could lead the promise for developing next-generation precision therapeutics and gene therapy.

Panel Discussion Chaired by Professor Mei He, Conference Chairperson
パネルディスカッション（Mei He教授が会議の議長）

**Emerging Trends in Extracellular Vesicle Research and Application Areas**
** 細胞外小胞（EV）研究・応用分野の新興動向 **