The lab advances aptamer science from discovery to application — spanning diagnostics, imaging, purification and theranostics. Work ranges from the selection of new DNA and RNA aptamers, including aptamers against glioblastoma stem cells targeting the EphA2 receptor [Mol. Therapy – Nucleic Acids, 2020, 20, 176], to structural epitope mapping and 3D-structure elucidation of aptamers by small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular modeling [ChemMedChem, 2020, 15, 363, cover article; Mol. Therapy – Nucleic Acids, 2021, 25, 316].

The team has produced aptamers to detect viruses — Vaccinia, Vesicular Stomatitis Virus, Norovirus and SARS-CoV-2 [Mol. Therapy – Nucleic Acids, 2023, 31, 731; Chemistry – A European Journal, 2022, 28, e202104481, cover article] — as well as bacterial pathogens (Salmonella typhimurium, S. enteritidis) and cancers [Mol. Therapy – Nucleic Acids, 2017, 6, 150; Cancers, 2019, 11, 351].

Berezovski pioneered aptamer selection directly on primary tumour cells and the subsequent detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in blood and cerebrospinal fluid [Mol. Therapy – Nucleic Acids, 2023, 32, 267]. This strategy selects aptamers for cell biomarkers in their native state and conformation without prior knowledge of the target — so tumour-specific aptamers can be produced for individual patients and re-synthesized during therapy, opening the door to personalized diagnostics. The team was also the first to integrate DNA aptamers into mass cytometry for cancer-cell detection [Anal. Bioanal. Chem., 2018, 410, 3047].

For in vivo imaging, the team radiolabeled a tumour-binding aptamer with ¹¹C and demonstrated higher PET/CT specificity and contrast than the standard radiotracer ¹⁸F-FDG [Mol. Therapy – Nucleic Acids, 2021, 26, 1159, cover article]. For purification, the lab engineered switchable aptamers that bind viruses only in the presence of Ca(II)/Mg(II) ions and release intact virus upon EDTA/EGTA chelation; this platform is patented [US 10,233,442, 2019] and has initiated licensing discussions with bioprocess companies.

For theranostics, the group developed aptamer-guided magnetodynamic nanotherapy using gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic microdisks to eliminate tumour cells in vivo under a low-frequency alternating magnetic field — an early demonstration of a noninvasive “nanoscalpel” at single-cell precision [Theranostics, 2017, 7, 3326; Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, 2017, 27, 105; Cancers, 2020, 12, 216]. Most recently, the lab introduced Aptamer-assisted Fluorescence-Guided Surgery (AptaFGS) for precise brain-tumour delineation in mice and rabbits, achieving clear boundary visualization with Cy7.5-labeled aptamers [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 24989].

Impact. These works establish aptamers as versatile clinical tools across diagnostics, imaging and theranostics, and help shift practice from antibody-focused methods toward nucleic-acid ligands with better programmability and manufacturability.

The lab develops an integrated EV analytics pipeline (LC-MS and CE-MS) and generates open datasets that identify disease-relevant proteins and post-translational modifications. EVs — small exosomes (30–150 nm), larger microvesicles (100–1000 nm) and apoptotic bodies — are membrane-enclosed carriers whose lipid bilayer protects a cargo of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and metabolites, forming a system of cell–cell communication.

Highlights include the “Top-100 in Cancer” study defining the exosomal proteome of the aggressive breast-cancer line MDA-MB-231 versus non-cancerous MCF10A and validating GLUT-1, GPC-1 and ADAM10 as surface biomarkers [Scientific Reports, 2020, 10, 13572]; the discovery that breast-cancer microvesicles carry functional metabolic enzymes — ornithine aminotransferase (OAT), transaldolase (TALDO1) and bleomycin hydrolase (BLMH) [Biomedicines, 2021, 9, 107]; a comprehensive phosphoproteome of cancer small EVs (2,450 sites on 855 proteins; validated ACLY, PFKM, SIRT1 and SIRT6) [Biomedicines, 2022, 10, 408]; and a lysine-acetylome revealing cancer-specific acetylation and elevated activity of glycolytic enzymes (ALDOA, GAPDH, PGK1, ENO, PKM) in EVs from metastatic cells [Biomedicines, 2023, 11, 1076].

More recently, the team associated EV proteome and metabolome changes with purine and carnitine metabolism [J. Proteome Research, 2025, 24, 2505], reported exosome metabolomic signatures of triple-negative breast cancer [Metabolomics, 2024, 20, 123], and used EV surface-proteome profiling to nominate additional breast-cancer biomarkers [Cancers, 2024, 16, 520].

Impact. These results reposition EVs from passive cargo carriers to active biochemical messengers, and provide reference datasets and validated targets that inform analytical standards and clinical biomarker discovery in oncology.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE), the focus of Berezovski's Ph.D. dissertation, remains a pivotal tool in the lab. In 2016, the team demonstrated for the first time the simultaneous analysis of protein conformational isomers together with their enzymatic activity and inhibition in a single CE-MS experiment [Nature Chemical Biology, 2016, 12, 918].

Beyond proteins, the lab quantifies nucleic acids and intact protein biomarkers by CE. A protein-facilitated affinity CE assay enables rapid quantification of ultralow microRNA levels in serum [Analytical Chemistry, 2018, 90, 6618], while on-line aptamer affinity solid-phase-extraction CE-MS purifies and characterizes intact proteins such as blood α-synuclein [Analytical Chemistry, 2020, 92, 1525].

For extracellular vesicles, the team introduced EVqCE, a quantitative CE framework that simultaneously measures EV concentration, average RNA mass (200–400 ag per particle) and handling-induced degradation — revealing lower RNA content in EVs from aggressive cancer cells [Separations, 2021, 8, 110]. The lab also developed a proximity-ligation aptamer–qPCR workflow for simultaneous protein and RNA detection [Analytical Chemistry, 2025].

Impact. This toolset, adopted by collaborators at Health Canada and several Canadian laboratories, shifts practice toward reproducible, quantitative EV analysis and structure-aware molecular assays.

The group develops and shares resources that promote community adoption. Its switchable-affinity aptamer platform for virus and cell purification is patented [US 10,233,442, 2019] and has been discussed with bioprocess companies, while EV multi-omics datasets and protocols are openly reused by Canadian and international collaborators.

AptaFGS advances fluorescence-guided oncology surgery [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 24989], and aptamer selections against primary tumour cells and CTCs are being investigated with clinical partners for patient-specific diagnostics [Mol. Therapy – Nucleic Acids, 2023, 32, 267]. Engagements with industry partners (including Forta Bio Inc. and Advanced Quantum Materials) and NSERC-supported collaborations demonstrate industrial relevance. Berezovski has delivered roughly 30 invited talks and workshops (e.g., ICASS, CCCE, Houston Methodist) that have helped accelerate adoption of the group's methods.

Impact. These activities lower barriers to translation, inform best practices in proteomics and EV workflows, and strengthen Canada's diagnostics and biomanufacturing capacity through shared data, protocols and intellectual property.