Call for papers - Isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles

Guest Editors

Sushma Anand, BSc, MSc, PhD, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Centre For Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Australia
Estefanía Lozano Andrés, PhD, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Miriam Romano, PhD, Center for Colloid and Surface Science, Italy

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 17 April 2025

BMC Methods is welcoming submissions to its Collection on Isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles. We are interested in articles that focus on new methods for characterizing EVs and explore novel approaches to isolating them from a variety of biological sources. We also invite manuscripts that discuss the standardization of EV isolation protocols, characterization methods, and quality control.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Sushma Anand, BSc, MSc, PhD, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Centre For Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Australia

Dr Sushma Anand is a researcher with a passion for advancing the understanding and treatment of retinal diseases. She combines cell biology, molecular biology, proteomics, and biochemistry to develop new clinical treatments. Her research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases and developing gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases. She specializes in utilizing adeno-associated viral vectors and exosomes for the targeted delivery of therapeutic molecules to degenerating retinal cells. She develops cellular models using direct cellular reprogramming to study eye diseases. Her work aims to advance cell and gene therapy approaches for vision loss, benefiting both ocular and systemic health worldwide.

Estefanía Lozano Andrés, PhD, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Dr Estefanía Lozano Andrés is a researcher and head of the centre for flow cytometry at Utrecht University. Estefanía has over 12 years of experience in flow cytometry and her research work has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and rendered >30 contributions to (inter)national conferences. Her research work utilizes single particle techniques to decipher EV subsets in complex samples, with a special focus on multiparametric flow cytometry. She is passionate about advancing the standardization and push the limits of the technology to enable the detection of EVs in biofluids with the ultimate goal of exploiting their prospective use as biomarkers for disease.

Miriam Romano, PhD, Center for Colloid and Surface Science, Italy

Dr Miriam Romano earned her master’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Bologna, Italy, and pursued her PhD in Precision Medicine at the University of Brescia, Italy. During her doctoral studies, she explored the utilization of extracellular vesicles (EVs) to develop pioneering bio-nanotechnological platforms for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Her research specialized in isolating and analyzing EVs sourced from diverse origins. Since completing her PhD, Dr Romano has redirected her research efforts towards expanding the potential of EVs as a feasible and biocompatible nanoscale drug delivery system for cancer treatments.

About the Collection

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biogenic nanoparticles found in various bodily fluids that have emerged as crucial mediators of intercellular communication by transferring diverse biological signals, including proteins, nucleic acids, metabolites, and organelles, in both physiological and pathological conditions.

Due to their role, EVs have gained momentum in being potential biomarkers for diagnosing disease, guiding therapeutic interventions, and assessing the prognosis of pathological conditions. With the interdisciplinary potential of EVs in mind, BMC Methods invites researchers to submit manuscripts covering a wide array of topics related to EV research methods.

Submissions may include but are not limited to the following:

Technological advancements in EV isolation and characterization: Contributions introducing innovative technologies and platforms for EV isolation from diverse biological sources—including cell cultures, bodily fluids, and tissues—and for EV characterization, such as high-resolution microscopy, proteomic and lipidomic analysis, and nucleic acid profiling.
Biogenesis and secretion mechanisms: Studies elucidating the mechanisms underlying EV biogenesis, cargo sorting, secretion, and biodistribution.
Functional assays: Development of assays to assess the functional roles of EVs, including uptake studies, cargo delivery, and downstream effects on recipient cells.
Standardization and quality control: Articles discussing the standardization of EV isolation, characterization methods, and quality control measures.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Methodology and Protocol Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.