US 12,253,448 B2
Isolation, storage, and delivery of extracellular vesicles using asymmetric depth filters
Mikhail Skliar, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and Vasiliy S. Chernyshev, Moscow (RU)
Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF UTAH RESEARCH FOUNDATION, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed by UNIVERSITY OF UTAH RESEARCH FOUNDATION, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed on Aug. 24, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/894,732.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/337,959, filed on May 3, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0358650 A1, Nov. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. G01N 1/40 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 1/4005 (2013.01) [G01N 2001/4088 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of isolating extracellular vesicles or nanoparticles from a fluid using an asymmetric depth filter, the method comprising:
(a) providing a fluid including extracellular vesicles or nanoparticles;
(b) providing an asymmetric depth filter, wherein the asymmetric depth filter has asymmetric pores where the asymmetric pores have a first width at an entry portion of the asymmetric depth filter and have a second width at an exit portion of the asymmetric depth filter, wherein the first width is greater than the second width; and
(c) passing the fluid through the asymmetric depth filter in a forward direction, wherein the fluid is introduced into the asymmetric depth filter at the entry portion, so that components of the fluid pass through the entry portion of the asymmetric pores before advancing towards the exit portion of the asymmetric pores, wherein extracellular vesicles or nanoparticles become reversibly entrapped within the entry portion of the asymmetric pores, and any proteins or low-density lipids, the proteins and low-density lipids being similarly sized to the size of the extracellular vesicles or nanoparticles are trapped in the asymmetric depth filter;
(d) rinsing at least a portion of the extracellular vesicles or nanoparticles reversibly entrapped within the entry portion of the asymmetric pores with a rinsing material, wherein rinsing with the rinsing material increases a purity of extracellular vesicles or nanoparticles that are recovered with a flow reversal across the asymmetric depth filter, after such rinsing.