The purpose of this project is to examine the contents and role of urinary nanovesicles, in particular exosomes, under different (patho)physiological conditions, with the hope of finding potential biomarkers from urinary exosomes.

There are four objectives:

1) Identities and quantities of ubiquitinated proteins in urinary exosomes

2) Regulation of secretion rates of exosomes

3) Functional role of exosomes in innate immune response in urinary tract

4) Altered ubiquitinated cargo in exosomes in patients with urinary tract infections