Protocol Standardization Reveals MV Correlation to Healthy Donor BMI

Microvesicles (MVs) are cell-derived vesicles which are of interest in a clinical setting, as they may be predictive of early signs of disease and/or of treatment progression. However, there are growing concerns about using conventional flow cytometry (cFMC) for the detection and quantification of microvesicles. These concerns range from error-sources in collection through to the physical limitations of detection. Here we present a standardized method for collection and analysis which shows that the MV numbers detected by cFCM correlate to donor Body Mass Index (BMI). Although unlikely to be comprehensive, we also demonstrate how cFCM is a useful and valid tool in the analysis of MVs.