Figure 1
Workflow for characterizing EVs in breast cancer using single-EV capabilities of nonlinear optical microscopy and example dataset from one participant. (a) Study overview including participant cancer status, EV isolation, and tissue extraction, and imaging. (b) Concentration and size of isolated EVs. (c) NAD(P)H single-EV fluorescence lifetime distribution; (d) NAD(P)H single-EV phasor distribution for isolated EVs from urine (yellow) and serum (red) from a single participant with malignant breast cancer. (e) Single-EV FAD autofluorescence intensity distribution. (f) Single-EV NAD(P)H intensity distribution for isolated EVs from urine (yellow), serum (red), ex vivo tumor tissue (green), and normal-appearing ex vivo tissue from the same participant “Tumor adj.” (light blue). Panels (b–f) all show data collected from samples from one single participant with malignant breast cancer, indicating the broad range of different variables that were collected from each participant.
