Acoustic Cell-Sorting Chip May Lead to Cell Phone-Sized Medical Labs, Penn State University Study

A technique that uses acoustic waves to sort cells on a chip may help create miniature medical analytic devices and lead to cell phone-sized medical labs, according to a team of researchers. The device uses two beams of acoustic-or sound-waves to act as acoustic tweezers and sort a continuous flow of cells on a dime-sized chip, said Tony Jun Huang, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics, Penn State. By changing the frequency of the acoustic waves, researchers can easily alter the paths of the cells.