Motile cells as probes for characterizing acoustofluidic devices

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Acoustics

Background:

• Acoustic microfluidics offers versatile particle manipulation for biological and medical applications.
• Current acoustofluidic technologies are limited to research settings, hindering clinical and industrial translation.
• A need exists for straightforward tools to assess and ensure consistency in acoustofluidic device performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a real-time method for characterizing acoustofluidic devices.
• To utilize swimming microorganisms as active probes for assessing acoustic fields.
• To enable improved consistency and repeatability of acoustofluidic platforms.

Main Methods:

• Employed the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a biological probe.
• Visualized acoustic pressure fields by observing cell redistribution in microfluidic channels.
• Correlated spatial cell density changes with acoustic potential to locate device resonances.
• Analyzed image correlation peaks to identify resonant frequencies and resonance strength.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that Chlamydomonas reinhardtii can effectively visualize acoustic fields in real-time.
• Successfully located device resonances and mapped acoustic field strength by analyzing cell distribution.
• Showcased the flexibility of motile cells over passive particles for in situ characterization.
• Established a correlation between cell distribution patterns and acoustic potential.

Conclusions:

• Dynamically responsive Chlamydomonas reinhardtii provide a flexible and effective means for real-time acoustofluidic device characterization.
• This method facilitates the translation of acoustofluidic technology from research to practical applications.
• The use of biological probes offers advantages in ease of use and adaptability for assessing microfluidic systems.