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Acoustic tweezers for the life sciences

Nature Methods volume 15, pages 1021–1028 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Acoustic tweezers are a versatile set of tools that use sound waves to manipulate bioparticles ranging from nanometer-sized extracellular vesicles to millimeter-sized multicellular organisms. Over the past several decades, the capabilities of acoustic tweezers have expanded from simplistic particle trapping to precise rotation and translation of cells and organisms in three dimensions. Recent advances have led to reconfigured acoustic tweezers that are capable of separating, enriching, and patterning bioparticles in complex solutions. Here, we review the history and fundamentals of acoustic-tweezer technology and summarize recent breakthroughs.

New discoveries are often preceded by technological progress. The development of cell theory, for example, is inextricably linked to advances in microscopy1. Just as early advances in the ability to visualize cells resulted in the development of cell theory, recent advances in the ability to manipulate single cells and biomolecules have contributed to breakthroughs in microbiology2, molecular biology3, biophysics4, and bioanalytical chemistry5.

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Fig. 1: Illustrations of various acoustic-tweezer technologies.
Fig. 2: Acoustic manipulation of various sample sizes and types.
Fig. 3: Acoustic manipulation of single particles and droplets.
Fig. 4: Acoustic isolation of exosomes from whole blood30.
Fig. 5: Acoustic-based 2D single-cell patterning42.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01 HD086325, R01 AI120560, and R33CA223908) and National Science Foundation (ECCS-1807601) to T.J.H.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Adem Ozcelik, Joseph Rufo, Yuyang Gu & Tony Jun Huang

  2. Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Feng Guo, Peng Li, James Lata & Tony Jun Huang

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  1. Adem Ozcelik
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Correspondence to Tony Jun Huang.

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Competing interests

T.J.H. has four US patents (patent nos. 8,573,060; 9,608,547; 9,606,086; and 9,757,699) related to acoustic tweezers. He also cofounded a start-up company, Ascent Bio-Nano Technologies Inc., to commercialize technologies involving acoustic tweezers.

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Ozcelik, A., Rufo, J., Guo, F. et al. Acoustic tweezers for the life sciences. Nat Methods 15, 1021–1028 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-018-0222-9

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