Roles of bladder cancer tumor derived extracellular vesicles in metastasis

Data obtained from the whole genome/exome and transcriptome profiling have not been able to pinpoint the key event that drives bladder cancer invasion and metastasis. While localized bladder cancers have a favorable outcome, regionally and distantly metastatic bladder cancer have 5-year survival rates of only 34% and 5%, respectively. In this project, we investigate tumor derived extracellular vesicles for their involvement in bladder cancer progression to metastasis. Patient derived extracellular vesicles are collected and analyzed for their action in facilitating pre-metastatic niche formation, and extracellular vesicle cargos are investigated for their predictive power for disease progression. The goal of this proposal is to characterize the functionality of extracellular vesicles derived from metastatic bladder cancer cells and urine of patients with metastatic muscle invasion in pre-metastatic niche formation using a syngeneic mouse model and patient-derived lymph nodes, and identify body fluid extracellular vesicle-based markers for detection of early metastasis.

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