The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute study, led by La Trobe University Professor David W. Greening and Dr Alin Rai and published in Nature Cell Biology, is the first to chart the complete molecular blueprint of extracellular vesicles (EVs) - nanosized bubbles that act as the body’s invisible messengers.
Professor Greening said the discovery transformed how scientists viewed EVs.
“By decoding these EV messages, we’re beginning to read the body’s own health reports.”
Using high-resolution density-gradient purification combined with integrated multi-omics profiling, the team achieved unprecedented molecular resolution, identifying 182 proteins and 52 lipids that form the conserved “hallmark” features of plasma EVs. They also defined 29 proteins and 114 lipids characteristic of non-EV particles, creating a molecular benchmark to distinguish the two.
Developed in partnership with researchers from the University of Melbourne, this dataset provides a definitive molecular reference map for circulating EVs - a resource that will guide future studies of intercellular communication and disease biomarkers directly in humans. To ensure open access, the team developed EVMap.
Dr Rai said EVs were like biological emails, constantly sending molecular updates from one cell to another
“Until now, we couldn’t clearly read what those messages said. Using this platform, what we’ve uncovered is that their molecular ‘language’ can potentially identify patients with coronary artery calcification, an early sign of heart disease.” Dr Rai said.
“These signatures open the door to developing a simple blood test that could predict who is at highest risk of a heart attack years in advance.”
The team is now expanding its work through national collaborations to integrate EV proteome and lipidome data from large Australian population studies.
“This research represents years of persistence in refining EV isolation, mass-spectrometry workflows, and data analytics,” Dr Rai said. “It demonstrates how fundamental science can evolve into tools with real clinical impact.”
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