This is a UHFSine photo of the layers created by Sine waves. Credit: Brian Patchett/Utah Valley University
Physicists are literally applying rocket science to the field of medical diagnostics. With a few key changes, the researchers used a noninvasive ultrasonic technique originally developed to detect microscopic flaws in solid fuel rockets to successfully detect cell stiffness changes associated with certain cancers and other diseases. The method uses sound waves to manipulate and probe cells.
The method combines a low-frequency ultrasonic wave to levitate the cells and confine them to a single layer within a fluid and a high-frequency ultrasonic wave to measure the cell’s stiffness. “An acoustic wave is a pressure wave so it travels as a wave of high and low pressure. By trapping a sound wave between a transducer – such as a speaker – and a reflective surface, we can create a ‘standing wave’ in the space between,” explained Patchett. “This standing wave has stationary layers of high and low pressure, a.k.a. ‘anti-nodes,’ and areas, ‘the nodes’ where the pressure remains the same.”
This standing wave allowed the group to acoustically levitate the cells and isolate them in manner similar to their natural state – eg in tissue or the bloodstream. Previous work relied on “growing the cell cultures in a Petri dish, which tends to deform the structure, as well as create all sorts of interference”
“The stiffness of the cell is the primary change detected with our high-frequency ultrasound; it reveals detailed information about the internal structure of the cell and how it changes in certain diseases,” Patchett said. It also helps distinguish between different types of cancer eg aggressive breast cancer vs. less aggressive forms. “By isolating the cells in a monolayer of fluid via acoustic levitation, we’re providing a better method for the detection of cell stiffness,” Patchett said. “This method can be used to explore the aspect of cells that changes during Alzheimer’s disease, the metastasis of cancer, or during the onset of autoimmune responses to better understand these conditions and provide insight into possible treatment methods.”
One of the group’s key findings is that “by manipulating the shape of the wave that we use for levitation in specific ways, we’re able to create more precise, sharply defined layers,” Patchett said.
“Our method identifies aggressive types of breast cancer, for example, while in the operating room,” Patchett noted. “Faster than current pathology methods, it will enable doctors to ensure speedier assessments and more effective treatment plans for patients – personalized to their specific needs, which, in turn, will end up being more cost effective in the long term.”
In the near future, the group plans to apply their method to a wide range of biological materials, including WBC undergoing activation, which is part of the immune response to an illness.
“We’re collaborating with the Huntsman Cancer Institute — part of the University of Utah healthcare system — to explore various types of breast tissues under levitation to refine our pathology detection methods,” Patchett said. “Our goal is to provide potentially life-saving, personalized medical treatments based on our ability to quickly and effectively detect cancers and diseases in patients.” http://www.newswise.com/articles/sound-waves-levitate-cells-to-detect-stiffness-changes-that-could-signal-disease
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