Ultrasonic vibration microdissection system for molecular analysis of tissue

Molecular techniques are transforming our understanding of cellular function and disease. However, accurate molecular analysis methods will be limited if the input DNA, RNA, or protein is not derived from pure population of cells or is contaminated by the wrong cells. Ultrasonic vibration microdissection provides the technology to procure pure population of targeted cells from tissue sections for subsequent analysis. It is a bio-manipulation system, which includes manipulator unit and control unit. Ultrasonic vibration microdissection is based on mechanical effect of ultrasound. We employed the multiplayer piezoelectric actuator for generating the ultrasonic vibration for cutting. With the help of ultrasound effect, an extremely fine microneedle was set in motion at a high frequency and low amplitude (approx. 16-50 kHz, and 0-3 mum) to cut the tissue. Experimental results show that embedded tissue, even thicker sections, can be quickly and precisely cut. Research indicates that Ultrasonic vibration microdissection is completely safe for DNA, RNA and protein analysis etc.