Electroacoustic single-cell spectroscopy for morphological differentiation of red blood cells: An in silico...

A computational electroacoustic framework is presented for morphology-dependent characterization of single red blood cells. Electric fields obtained via finite-element modeling were converted into initial electroacoustic pressure sources and propagated using k-Wave simulations. Normal red blood cells and stomatocytes were modeled using Cassini ovals, while spherocyte, elliptocyte, echinocyte, and sickle geometries were constructed using analytical contours with equal 2D cross-sectional area. Simulated time-domain signals exhibit morphology-dependent variations in amplitude and temporal width, while frequency spectra (1-1000 MHz) reveal distinct first spectral minima for each cell type. These electroacoustic signatures demonstrate the feasibility of label-free single-cell characterization and establish a foundation for electroacoustic flow cytometry.