Technology developing at UH helps identify new targets for treatment of diseases

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Wei Chuan Shih, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston, is developing technology that will help identify new exosome targets for treatment of diseases

Credit: University of Houston

Tiny particles released by most human cells may be promising targets for diagnosis and treatment of an array of diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s, but scientists have struggled to see them and study them in detail. Now, these particles, or exosomes, are about to be seen in a whole new light – under a new imaging technology being developed in the lab of Wei Chuan Shih, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH.

The new technology, supported by a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, will be able to examine exosomes one at a time, measuring their features to pinpoint which would be good drug targets.

It is an enormous task.

Inside the human body, a veritable cellular highway exists with 37 trillion cells moving about, keeping us alive, turning food into energy, repairing what needs mending and fighting off predators that try to destroy us. Most of the cells expel tiny exosomes, a type of extracellular vesicle, full of the mysterious biological ingredients that make up the cell itself.

“Small extracellular vesicles and exosomes are known to play important roles in a variety of basic science and applied research fields such as cancer biology, neurological disorders, regenerative medicine, and dermatology,” said Shih….

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