Exclusive Interview with the Foundation Distinguished Prof. Steven A. Soper - Insights into the Isolation and Analysis of Extracellular Vesicles

On November 10, 2022, the Editorial Office of Extracellular Vesicles and Circulating Nucleic Acids (EVCNA) had an exclusive interview with Prof. Steven A. Soper to discuss his current research projects in micro-/nanofabricated biochemical analysis systems and the challenges of isolation and analysis of extracellular vesicles (EVs).

Prof. Soper is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas, USA. He is working on generating new tools for discovery and medical diagnostics through the analysis of biological macromolecules including DNAs, RNAs, and proteins. His group also focuses on designing, fabricating, and evaluating microfluidic and nanofluidic chips for cellular and molecular analyses.

Last year, Prof. Soper and his colleagues published a review titled "Isolation and analysis methods of extracellular vesicles (EVs)" on EVCNA which covers some traditional and non-traditional technologies for EVs isolation and detection and is by far the most cited article of EVCNA. In this interview, which revolved around the article, Prof. Soper shared more about the isolation and analysis of EVs.

Firstly, he briefly introduced his research journey. He then shared his ongoing projects, the unique aspects of microfluidic and nanofluidic chips they are developing for cellular and molecular, and the challenges of EVs analyses. Finally, looking into the future, he talked about his prospection and gave helpful suggestions for researchers to begin their journey in this field. Here's what went down:

Q1: Could you please share with us your journey and why have you chosen to focus your research on micro-/nanofabricated biochemical analysis systems?

Q2: Could you please talk about the ongoing projects your lab is working on now?

Q3: Your lab focused on designing, fabricating, and evaluating microfluidic and nanofluidic chips for cellular and molecular analyses. What are the unique aspects of your approach?

Q4: Could you please introduce us the general challenges in the isolation and analysis of extracellular vesicles?

Q5: What are the advantages of putting together a multidisciplinary team?

Q6: What kind of research goal do you want to achieve in the next five years?

Q7: What advice would you give to early career scientists in starting their own research journey?