The discovery of EVs offers a path to minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutic response. Professor Wauben and her research group aim to unravel the role of intercellular communication in biological systems via extracellular vesicles with specific emphasis on the regulation of the immune system.
The focus of her research is on the characterisation of vesicle populations involved in immune cell regulation. The aim is to identify immune-regulatory vesicles in body fluids (eg in breast milk and blood), to reveal their origin and factors that influence the selection of vesicular cargo and the release of different immune-regulatory vesicle subsets.
The research investigates whether specific vesicular-signatures in body fluids may be used as biomarkers with the aim to develop cell-derived vesicle inspired nano-carriers for clinical application.