High-power ultrasound for multiparameter single-cell mechano-phenotyping

This project will push the limits of microscale ultrasound-based technology to detect and gain access to diagnostically interesting, rare cells in the blood based on a panel of acousto-mechanical properties. Microscale systems are powerful tools to examine and manipulate single cells.

In addition, the high precision and potential for multi-stage serial processing offered by such microfluidic methods open up for isolation of rare cell populations, such as circulating tumor cells, and controlled size fractionation of sub-micron biological particles, such as platelets, bacteria, or extracellular vesicles.To achieve highly specific single-cell isolation of target cells, we will expose blood to acoustic radiation forces in a flow-through format enabling multiparameter characterization of thousands of cells.

Based on this, new separation schemes will be developed that can isolate extremely rare circulating tumor cells from the blood of patients with prostate cancer.

The project will render new fundamental knowledge regarding the mechanical properties of single cells and a framework to understand the response of cells to any aqueous medium, bounding geometry and sound field, and new tools to better understand the role of circulating tumor cells in metastasizing cancer as well as analyzing them for diagnosis and treatment guidance.