Tuesday, 16 October 2012

08:00

Registration


Exosome Biology and Role in Intercellular Communication

09:30

Stephen GouldKeynote Presentation

Exosome Biogenesis and Protein Budding
Stephen Gould, Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University, United States of America

Virtually all animal cells secrete exosomes, small vesicles that carry specific proteins and nucleic acids from cell to cell. Using a cargo-based approach, we show that the plasma membrane is the primary site of protein and vesicle budding from the cell.

10:00

Exosomal Transfer of Genetic Information between the Hematopoietic System and the Brain
Stefan Momma, Group Leader, University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany

The contribution of hematopoietic cells to non-hematopoietic tissues has been mainly studied in the context of cytokine signaling or cell fusion. We now show evidence for the horizontal transfer of functional RNA from hematopoietic cells to neurons by exosomes in vivo.

10:30

Coffee Break & Networking in Exhibition Hall

11:15

Exosomes Transfer microRNAs Through Immune Synapse
Maria Mittelbrunn, Researcher, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Spain

Mechanisms controlling the sorting of microRNA to extracellular vesicles and intercellular transfer of miRNA between immune cells.

11:45

Immune Modulation by Release of Ligands for the Activating Receptor NKG2D
Mar Gomez, Group Leader, National Centre for Biotechnology, Spain

We will summarize our results on the biology of the ligands for the immune receptor NKG2D, how their biochemical properties influence their expression or release to the supernatant. The importance of detecting these proteins in patient sera will be discussed.

12:15

Lunch & Networking in Exhibition Hall

13:30

Poster Viewing Session


Exosomes for Biomarkers and Diagnostics

14:15

Exosomes as pro-inflammatory mediators, potential for clinical treatment and as biomarkers.
Susanne Gabrielsson, Professor, Division of Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Exosomes are nano-sized natural membrane vesicles which can induce, potentiate, or regulate immune responses depending on their cell of origin. I will describe how exosomes can contribute to inflammatory lung diseases in humans, and describe lessons learnt from mouse experiments.

14:45

The Market Environment and Opportunity for Exosomes in Biological Fluids for Biomarker Development
Enal Razvi, Managing Director, Select Biosciences Inc, United States of America

The increasing pace of biomarker discovery and characterization especially for solid tumors is leading to the need for minimally-invasive means of characterizing/quantifying/studying these biomarkers from patient samples. Biological fluids offer this opportunity since the discovery that many biomarkers—protein, mRNA, microRNA—are encapsulated in exosomes/microvesicles and are therefore resident in the circulation.

15:15

Coffee Break & Networking in Exhibition Hall

16:00

Effects of Tumor-Derived Exosomes (TEX) on Anti-Tumor Immune Responses in Patients with Cancer
Theresa Whiteside, Professor, University of Pittsburgh, United States of America

Tumor-derived exosomes (TEX) are present in body fluids of all cancer patients. TEX have immunosuppressive effects: they induce CD8+ T cell apoptosis, expand Treg, inhibit NK cell activity and sequester tumor-reactive therapeutic antibodies. TEX promote tumor escape from the host immune system.

16:30

BEAMing qRT-PCR Analysis of Mutant IDH1 mRNA in Tumor Microvesicles
Leonora Balaj, Instructor in Neurosurgery, Mass General Hospital (MGH)/Harvard Medical School, United States of America

Microvesicles are released from tumor cells into body fluids and can provide a powerful platform for tumor biomarkers. Using BEAMing PCR we show that CSF-derived microvesicles from tumor patients contain the mutant IDH1 which reflects the genetic status of the primary tumor.

17:00

Drinks Reception

Wednesday, 17 October 2012


MicroRNAs and Proteins in Exosomes

09:30

Detection of Cell-free DNA, RNA and miRNA in Exosomes: New Non Invasive Pregnancy-associated Markers?
Annie Levy-Mozziconacci, Assistant Professor, University of Marseille, France

Human placenta cells released free-fetal nucleic acids detected in the maternal circulation during pregnancy which offer non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of the genetic status of a fetus. Theses cells released also exosomes which are used in fetal-maternal cross-talk. Our hypotheses was that human fetal cells could secrete DNA, RNA and miRNA extracellularly via exosomes  which could permit to define new non invasive biomarkers.

10:00

Exosomal and Non-exosomal Release of Amyloids: Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Lawrence Rajendran, Velux Stiftung Professor for Systems and Cell Biology of Neurodegeneration, University of Zurich, Switzerland

We provide evidence that the Alzheimer's disease, amyloid beta are generated in early endosomes and then released via exosomes. Using lipidomics, biophysical and cell biological techniques we demonstrate that exosome-associated amyloids act as seeds for further accumulation into plaque-like structures.

10:30

Coffee Break & Networking in Exhibition Hall

11:15

The Direct, Real-time and Multi-parameter Visualisation and Analysis of Individual Exosomes and Microvesicles by Laser Microscopy and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis
Andrew Malloy, Sales Manager, NanoSight Ltd, United Kingdom

Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis represents a new microscopical technique by which exosomes and microvesicles in suspension can be directly visualized, counted and sized on an individual basis in real time. Use of fluorescently- labelled antibody allows phenotyping of sub-populations.


Exosomes in Cancer and Other Diseases

11:45

Exosome Content and Their Function in the Metastasizing Breast Carcinomas
Irina Nazarenko, Exosome and Tumor Biology Group Leader, University of Freiburg, Germany

Early diagnosis remains one the major challenges for a successful treatment of the metastasizing breast carcinomas. Our data support that the content of exosomes derived from the breast cancer metastasis differs from those derived from a primary tumor. This change of the exosome content reflects epithelial-mesenchymal transition of the tumor cells and play a deceive role in the regulation of a pro-angiogenic activity of tumor-derived exosomes.

12:15

Lunch & Networking in Exhibition Hall

13:30

Poster Viewing Session

14:15

Willem StoorvogelKeynote Presentation

Prostasomes, Exosomes in Seminal Fluid from Prostate Epithelial Cells
Willem Stoorvogel, Professor, Utrecht University, Netherlands

During or directly after ejaculation, sperm cells are mixed with secretions from the prostate and other accessory sex glands. In addition to soluble constituents, seminal fluid from many mammalian species has been found to contain various types of extracellular vesicles, including prostasomes. Prostasomes are generated within and secreted by prostate epithelial cells in a process similar to the production of exosomes by other cell types. The proposed functions of prostasomes include prevention of immune-mediated destruction of spermatozoa within the female reproductive tract and modulation of the fertilizing capacity of sperm cells. How prostasomes could mediate such diverse functions, however, remains unclear. We identified and isolated two distinct classes of prostasomes on the basis of unique biochemical characteristics. This provides a means to study and assign specific functions to classes of prostasomes and to study their prognostic value for (sub) fertility and/or diseases such as prostate cancer.

14:45

Exosomes in HIV Infection and Malignant Melanoma
Andreas Baur, Research Group Leader, University Hospital Erlangen, Germany

We analyzed the function of exosomes in HIV infection and cancer and came to the surprising conclusion that both diseases use these vesicles to modulate their respective microenvironment by an identical mechanism.

15:15

Coffee Break & Networking in Exhibition Hall

15:45

Extracellular Vesicles in Joint Diseases
Edit Buzas, Professor, Semmelweis University, Hungary

The presentation will give an overview of extracellular vesicles, state-of-the-art techniques, preanalytical and analytical challenges of extracellular vesicle assessment in biological samples, and will provide examples for microvesicle signatures in joint diseases.

16:15

Close of Conference