Rachel DeRita's Biography

Rachel DeRita, Director, Extracellular Vesicle Core Facility, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary medicine

In the laboratory of Dr. Lucia Languino, my work focused on prostate cancer progression and the effects of EVs on cancer cell behavior. I presented for the first time that c-Src is highly enriched in prostate cancer EVs and that phospho-Src, phospho-FAK, GRK5/6, and IGF-IR, all important molecules in the progression of prostate cancer, are also enriched in exosomes. This information provided valuable insight into potential EV biomarkers and molecules of functional consequence secreted into the tumor microenvironment via EVs. I went on to identify a single cell type (the prostate epithelium) within the prostate tumor is responsible for producing EVs that possess ß1Integrin-dependent pro-tumor function. This was the first time anyone had identified in vivo a single cell type within the tumor that was the source of an oncogenic subset of EVs. This built upon previous work from ours and other laboratories that had identified general epithelial-derived EV subsets or tumor-derived EVs, which could come from a variety of cell types or locations in the body, when considering a plasma-derived EV sample. My work has helped gain significant insight into molecular mechanisms of EV-mediated regulation of the tumor microenvironment and into finding potential EV-based biomarkers in the blood. I continually trained and mentored younger students and laboratory members and taught the basics of best practices when conducting research on EVs.

The Role of Core Facilities and Emerging Technologies in Maximizing Rigor and Reproducibility of EV Quantification and Characterization and Following MISEV Guidelines

Thursday, 25 February 2021 at 11:00

Add to Calendar ▼2021-02-25 11:00:002021-02-25 12:00:00Europe/LondonThe Role of Core Facilities and Emerging Technologies in Maximizing Rigor and Reproducibility of EV Quantification and Characterization and Following MISEV GuidelinesExtracellular Vesicles (EV)-Exosomes: Diagnostics, Delivery and Therapeutics in Virtual ConferenceVirtual ConferenceSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com

It remains very clear in the field of extracellular vesicle (EV) research that the rapid rate of increase in publications and expansion of interdisciplinary clinical EV interest has created the need for increased standardization and access to the appropriate technologies to uphold these standards. As the first core facility in the United States with the sole intention of creating a space where users can both isolate and characterize EVs, we provide a central location for the facilitation of EV research via access to multiple technologies (both established and emerging) such as resistive pulse sensing, nanoparticle tracking analysis, ultracentrifugation, high-performance liquid chromatography, flow cytometric analysis of EVs and additional immune or fluorescence-based EV characterization techniques. We surveyed a group of leading scientific investigators and researchers in varying stages of their scientific careers in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. The survey data demonstrate applications of greatest current and future interest to be employed in a shared lab resource. The current demand is highest for isolation services, ultracentrifugation and NTA, with a gradually increasing demand for immunophenotying analyses such as the ExoView chip array, fluorescent NTA and flow cytometry. We additionally present strategies and data-based examples of how shared resource facilities can facilitate multifactorial and rigorous EV characterization in accordance with MISEV guidelines, and encourage collaboration among EV researchers. In order to answer the larger remaining questions in the EV field such as the isolation of specific EV subsets, EV tracking between cells and the use of EVs for biomarker discovery and drug delivery, it is essential that shared resource facilities interact not only with investigators, but with each other to integrate the necessary resources to progress.

Add to Calendar ▼2021-02-25 00:00:002021-02-26 00:00:00Europe/LondonExtracellular Vesicles (EV)-Exosomes: Diagnostics, Delivery and TherapeuticsExtracellular Vesicles (EV)-Exosomes: Diagnostics, Delivery and Therapeutics in Virtual ConferenceVirtual ConferenceSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com

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