Exosomes; Nano-Scale Bubbles Creating Waves in Diagnostics and Therapeutics

NEW YORK, NY and POINT ROBERTS, WA--(Marketwired - Dec 17, 2013) - Investorideas.com, an investor news and research portal issues an exclusive sector snapshot on the rapidly growing exosome market and opportunities with key insight from Enal Razvi, Ph.D, Biotechnology Analyst and Managing Director of SelectBio U.S.

For investors unfamiliar with exosomes, they are cell-derived vesicles that are present in most biological fluids including blood and urine, as well as other body fluids. Because the fluids are easily accessible, they can be used as markers for disease progression. Exosomes are described as tiny, nano-scale bubbles that are released from cells capable of intercellular communication.

"Only five years ago the principals of communicating within the body were hormones, immunology or neurology and now we have found another way of communicating and sending genetic signals between cells," Life Technologies Corp.

So why is something so small creating such a huge buzz? Two key significant areas of growth in the sector are diagnostics and therapeutics for diseases such as cancer.

According to a report earlier this year from Select Biosciences, "Exosome research is growing exponentially as researchers from several disparate disciplines are exploring the role of exosomes in inter-cellular communication, immunological responses, stem cell behavior, cancer cell communication, etc. Indeed, the potential of exosomes and other classes of microvesicles as a means of molecular cargo transport is being intensively studied. "

Enal Razvi, Ph.D, Biotechnology Analyst and Managing Director of SelectBio U.S, one of a few experts covering the space, shared insight with Investorideas.com in a recent conversation. 

When we asked Enal to discuss what publicly traded companies are in this new sector for investors, he said there are only a few to watch including Life Technologies Corp (LIFE) (currently being acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific), Eli Lilly (due to their partnership with Exosome Diagnostics) and Aethlon Medical (AEMD).

He went on to say, "Investors need to be aware of changes exosomes allow, making companion diagnostics a reality. Exosomes can create a paradigm shift for companion diagnostics based on circulating biomarkers.

"Five years from now, or sooner, exosomes will become a key diagnostic tool for cancers. If we don't know the origin of tumors; biomarkers can narrow down the source. 

Why investors should pay attention to the space is because exosomes can significantly reduce the cost and increase the compliance, primarily for cancer, and make biopsies for personal medicine longitudinal sense. It becomes a very invasive process for a patient to get ongoing biopsies, so this new method of using exosomes for diagnostics is very exciting for patients.