Research Description:
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small vesicles that are released from all cells and have been recently recognized to promote both autocrine and paracrine cellular communication. EVs transport diverse cargoes, including proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, that can interact with recipient cells to promote a variety of cell, tissue, and organismal phenotypes. The Weaver laboratory studies how EVs, especially exosomes, carry out their functions. We also study fundamental aspects of how EVs are formed, secreted, and how cargo is selected for inclusion in the EVs. We are also interested in translating our work to leverage the potential of EVs for improving therapies for patients. Current focus areas include: Regulation of Migration and Invasion by Exosomes, Imaging tools, Trafficking of RNAs into colon cancer EVs, Role of tumor cell EVs in cancer aggressiveness and metastasis, and EVs as cancer biomarkers in liquid biopsies.