New Exosome-Based Liquid Biopsy Assays for Lung Cancer Screening, Early Detection, and Treatment Response Monitoring

Speaker:

Yun Wu, PhD

Professor and Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering

University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Abstract:

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, largely because most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when therapeutic options are limited. Early detection and real-time monitoring of disease progression are critical to improving outcomes, yet current diagnostic tools—such as imaging and tissue biopsy—are invasive, expensive, and often lack sensitivity for early-stage disease. In this talk, Dr. Yun Wu will present her laboratory’s recent advances in developing exosome-based liquid biopsy assays for lung cancer screening, early detection, and treatment response monitoring. Exosomes, nanoscale extracellular vesicles secreted by cells, carry molecular cargoes that reflect the physiological state of their cells of origin, offering a minimally invasive window into tumor biology. Dr. Wu’s team has engineered novel nanoparticle-based platforms that enable highly sensitive and specific detection of lung cancer–derived exosomes and their biomarkers directly from patient blood samples. These assays integrate nanotechnology, molecular biology, and bioengineering approaches to overcome challenges in exosome isolation, enrichment, and signal quantification. The resulting platforms not only distinguish lung cancer patients from healthy individuals with high accuracy but also provide a means to track therapeutic response and disease recurrence. By transforming how clinicians detect and monitor lung cancer, these technologies hold promise for broad clinical translation and personalized medicine. Dr. Wu will also discuss the pathway from bench to bedside, highlighting current validation studies, regulatory considerations, and the broader potential of exosome-based diagnostics across other cancer types.

Professor Wu, earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Polymer Materials and Engineering from the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, followed by a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from The Ohio State University. She subsequently completed postdoctoral research in nanomedicine and molecular imaging before joining the University at Buffalo in 2013 as an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019 and to Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2023. Dr. Wu’s research lies at the intersection of nanotechnology, molecular diagnostics, and translational oncology. Her work has  been continuously supported by the NIH, NSF, and FDA, and has led to more than 65 peer-reviewed publications and several patents. Dr. Wu has received numerous honors, including the UB Exceptional Scholar Award and the Biomedical Engineering Society Innovation and Career Development Award.