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The Vanderbilt Center for
Extracellular Vesicle Research

The Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium: Establishing Foundational Knowledge and Technologies for Extracellular RNA Research

AUTHORS

Das S , , Ansel KM , Bitzer M , Breakefield XO , Charest A , Galas DJ , Gerstein MB , Gupta M , Milosavljevic A , McManus MT , Patel T , Raffai RL , Rozowsky J , Roth ME , Saugstad JA , Van Keuren-Jensen K , Weaver AM , Laurent LC , . Cell. 2019 4 4; 177(2). 231-242

ABSTRACT

The Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium (ERCC) was launched to accelerate progress in the new field of extracellular RNA (exRNA) biology and to establish whether exRNAs and their carriers, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), can mediate intercellular communication and be utilized for clinical applications. Phase 1 of the ERCC focused on exRNA/EV biogenesis and function, discovery of exRNA biomarkers, development of exRNA/EV-based therapeutics, and construction of a robust set of reference exRNA profiles for a variety of biofluids. Here, we present progress by ERCC investigators in these areas, and we discuss collaborative projects directed at development of robust methods for EV/exRNA isolation and analysis and tools for sharing and computational analysis of exRNA profiling data.