The University of Central Florida invention relates to the use of NANOG exosomal DNA as a diagnostic cancer marker.  Specifically, the marker is a 22bp insert in the 3’UTR of the NANOG pseudogene, NANOGP8. Exosomes are extracellular microvesicles (30-100 nm) released by almost all types of cells upon fusion of the multi-vesicular body with the plasma membrane. Known for their role in cell-to-cell communication, exosomes have demonstrated an ability to unload their contents and contribute to the transformation of normal and stem cells to cancerous states.