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Ultrasound Manipulation Systems

Our goal is to build novel multifunctional acoustic manipulation systems that will be compatible with in vivo animal models. We will take advantages of the acoustic radiation force, estimated by the gradient of the Gor’kov potential, to develop ultrasound manipulation systems.

microfluidics

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Daniel Ahmed et al. Selectively manipulable acoustic-powered microswimmers, Scientific Reports, Vol. 5, pp. 9744, 2015. 

Daniel Ahmed et al. Rotational manipulation of single cells and organisms using acoustic waves, Nature Communications, 7:11085

doi: 10.1038/ncomms11085, 2016. 

 

Abstract

The precise rotational manipulation of single cells or organisms is invaluable to many applications in biology, chemistry, physics and medicine. In this article, we describe an acoustic-based, on-chip manipulation method that can rotate single microparticles, cells and organisms. To achieve this, we trapped microbubbles within predefined sidewall microcavities inside a microchannel. In an acoustic field, trapped microbubbles were driven into oscillatory motion generating steady microvortices which were utilized to precisely rotate colloids, cells and entire organisms (that is, C. elegans). We have tested the capabilities of our method by analysing reproductive system pathologies and nervous system morphology in C. elegans. Using our device, we revealed the underlying abnormal cell fusion causing defective vulval morphology in mutant worms. Our acoustofluidic rotational manipulation (ARM) technique is an easy-to-use, compact, and biocompatible method, permitting rotation regardless of optical, magnetic or electrical properties of the sample under investigation.

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