Researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering have developed a new method for producing extracellular vesicles (EVs) using spinning bioreactors. EVs are small particles inside cells that transport molecules, including proteins and healing compounds, throughout the body. They show promise in targeted medicine because they can deliver treatments to specific areas, but large-scale production has been a challenge.
The team’s approach uses vertical-wheel bioreactors—devices with rotating chambers that create gentle currents similar to blood flow. This method enabled the researchers to produce two to three times more EVs compared to traditional methods where the bioreactors remain stationary.
“Imagine if we could harvest microscopic delivery trucks from lab-grown human tissues to carry healing molecules directly to damaged cells in our bodies,” said Professor Yan Li from the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. “That’s essentially what we have accomplished in our investigation.”
Li explained further: “Think of it like the difference between a factory running at normal capacity versus one operating at peak efficiency under optimized conditions. Essentially, the gentle spinning motion enhances both the quantity of these essential vesicles and the overall health of the artificial blood vessels.”
Lab tests showed that EVs produced with this technique kept their healing properties, such as reducing cell damage from aging and encouraging cell growth. This suggests that scaling up production does not reduce their effectiveness.
By creating a scalable production method, researchers hope EV-based therapies will become more affordable and accessible for treating age-related diseases and tissue injuries.
“I hope that the research on EVs increases because of our study,” said Justice Ene, a graduate student researcher and study co-author. “In the future, we need to explore the composition of therapeutic cargo and learn how well the research translates to safely being produced at a large scale. There are still many questions, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Other co-authors from FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and Florida State University include Chang Liu, Falak Syed, Li Sun, Danyale Berry, Pradeepraj Durairaj, Zixiang Leonardo Liu, and Changchun Zeng. Sunghoon Jung from PBS Biotech was also involved in the research.
The project received support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), including an NSF INTERN award, as well as partial funding from the National Institutes of Health.
