Monitoring and reporting the composition of plasma and serum to improve biobanks and comparability of extracellular vesicle research: communication from the ISTH SSC Subcommittee on Vascular Biology

Abstract

Transparent reporting is key to improving the reproducibility of scientific research. In 2023, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles updated the “Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles” (MISEV) reporting guidelines and published new recommendations for blood extracellular vesicle (EV) research entitled “MIBlood-EV: Minimal information to enhance the quality and reproducibility of blood extracellular vesicle research.” The MIBlood-EV recommendations are part of MISEV 2023 and promote reporting not only the protocols used for blood collection and handling but also the composition of the prepared samples that are used to measure EVs. Plasma and serum are commonly used starting materials for EV research; reporting their composition can help to improve reproducibility, comparison of measurement results, and support evidence-based guideline development. We conducted an online survey among the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) EV researchers. Of the 20 respondents, 95% were familiar with MISEV, but 35% were unaware of the 2023 update, and only 65% applied these guidelines to their reports. With regard to MIBlood-EV, 40% were unaware of this reporting tool, and 20% did not follow its recommendations. This is surprising because most respondents agree that preanalytical variables of blood EV research are not satisfactorily described (75%), confirm that having a standardized reporting tool is beneficial for blood EV research (90%), and consider MIBlood-EV applicable to other fields of ISTH research (80%). In this Scientific and Standardization Committee communication, we summarize the survey results, as well as the background and goals of MISEV and how MIBlood-EV can be useful to improve the reproducibility of blood research within the ISTH community.