Positioning, displacement, and localization of cells using ultrasonic forces

This paper presents a method and a device to position and displace cells. The cells are suspended in a fluid layer trapped between the device and an arbitrary surface such as an object slide or a wafer. The device vibrates at ultrasonic frequencies causing a pressure field in the fluid layer. This pressure field results in a force-field capable of positioning cells. Depending on the way in which the device is excited a 2-D or 3-D force-field can be generated, positioning the cells in lines or points respectively. Furthermore, it is possible to subsequently displace the cells with micrometer accuracy. This has been demonstrated using HL60 and MCF10A cells, and can be achieved without causing damage to the cells.