Extracellular vesicles: from biology to biomedical applications

Overview

Registration is not yet open for this event. If you are interested in receiving more information please register your interest.

Course overview

The extracellular vesicle (EV) research field is still growing with many researchers entering the field with a continued strength of demand for such specialized training. As research progresses, it becomes clear that EV’s regulate an increasing number of (Patho)physiological processes and are harnessed in a variety of biomedical applications.

Appropriate methodologies to prepare and characterize EV from biofluids are key to understanding the mechanisms that regulate their formation, composition and function. Given the large number of methods used, it is particularly important to provide practical hands-on training to new researchers covering the possibilities and limitations of the most widely used methods. This course will deliver such state-of-the-art training to participants, particularly those entering the field, and enable them to select the methodology which best fits their research question .

Audience

This course is intended for PhD students and Postdoctoral researchers who are entering or are already active in the field of EV research, and are interested in learning how to work with extracellular vesicles and know more about their biomedical applications.

Modules/resources

• Extracellular vesicles (continuous and discontinuous density gradient ultracentrifugation, ultrafiltration techniques, bead-capture and precipitation techniques, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC))
• Extracellular vesicles characterisation (Immunoblot and electron microscopy, fluorescent labeling, quantitative and qualitative analysis by flow cytometry, nanoparticle tracking analysis, in vivo imaging, proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of EV)
• Extracellular vesicles composition (lipidomics, proteomics, transcriptomics)
• Extracellular vesicles and function (molecular players for extracellular vesicle biogenesis, extracellular vesicle targeting to cells, extracellular vesicles as diagnostics and/or therapeutics in pathophysiology)

Learning outcomes

In this course we intend to make PhD students and post-doctoral researchers familiar with good-practice-guidelines and methods for purification and identification of extracellular vesicles with practical sessions included.

What past participants say about the course

“This course was very informative and covers all the major aspects of EV research. It addresses questions of what level of quality is required for good publications but also offers relevant approaches towards analysing data and critical thinking in the EV field. Whether you are taking your first steps in this field or more experienced, this course applies to you.” – Dr. Berglind Eva Benediktsdóttir, University of Iceland, Iceland

“My research is focused on understanding the role of exosomes in the progression of glioblastoma. While working on exosome-mediated regulation of angiogenesis in glioblastoma, I found significant difficulties in getting a pure population of exosomes as it is often contaminated with other biomolecules. As a result, we were in delusion whether the data which we were getting was the effect of exosomes or other biomolecules. Fortunately, I found the EMBO Practical Course on extracellular vesicles, focusing on the isolation and purification of extracellular vesicles, which was extremely important for my research work. We were trained to use cutting-edge research tools for extracellular vesicles and learned bioinformatic analysis of biomolecules that are present in exosomes. I also got an opportunity to interact with world-leading researchers and discuss my research. ” – Abir Mondal, National Centre for Cell Science, India

Sponsors

Event partners

Event sponsors

Event supporters

Sponsorship opportunities

We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities, with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget. Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg. View other conferences, or contact sponsorship@embl.de for further information on sponsoring possibilities.

If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.

Media kit

Want to let others know you’re attending this event? Take a look at our shareable media and feel free to use them in your social media channels or presentations.