Advances in biosensing technologies for analysis of cancer-derived exosomes

Abstract Exosomes play an important role in intercellular communication that contribute to the interaction of cancer cells with the tumor microenvironment. The original features endow tumor-derived exosomes with distinctive opportunities to serve as sensitive biomarkers for identifying early-stage tumors and monitoring of therapeutic response non-invasively. Conventional detection techniques face a number of drawbacks including sensitivity and reproducibility, therefore considerable efforts have been made to establish reliable biosensors for exosomes analysis. This review summarizes recent progress in exosomes quantification techniques, mainly focused on novel molecular recognition methods and signal transduction strategies. Furthermore, we offer a perspective of exosomes research towards the development innovative concepts on future applications.