Protocol for isolating extracellular vesicles from pancreatic cancer cells for liver metastatic niche research

Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are secreted, cell-derived, membrane-bound compartments implicated in various diseases for their ability to influence distant targets and as carriers of biomarkers. Here, we present a protocol for separating EVs from mammalian pancreatic cancer cells and their characterization using western blot and electron microscopy. We then demonstrate how they are utilized to affect tumor development in a murine model of metastatic pancreatic cancer including a method to quantify hepatic tumor burden in histologic samples.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Dudgeon et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.