Certain types of RNA venture outside the cell wall, and each of these strands of extracellular RNA rests inside an extracellular nanocarrier, which flows along bodily fluids like a microscopic message in a bottle, carrying information to other cells. Now, researchers at the University of Notre Dame have created a new device that causes the nanocarriers to sort themselves in a sample of blood plasma, saliva, or urine, enabling scientists to isolate any extracellular RNA that carries the early warning signs of cancer, heart disease, or HIV.
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