Scientists from ITMO University have discovered a new physical phenomenon — a lateral recoil force that acts on irregularly shaped particles in an acoustic field. This discovery creates opportunities for more efficient separation of cells of a given shape from blood and other fluids.
Until now, acoustic tweezers have been used to work with symmetrical particles, which are easier to capture and hold. However, researchers have found that acoustic waves can stably affect objects of complex shapes as well. When a particle of a certain shape is placed at a given angle, a lateral force arises that simultaneously lifts it into the field and causes rotation.
Scientists have discovered that rotation can be stopped, ensuring stable movement of the particle at a constant angle. The author of the study, Mikhail Petrov, a leading researcher at the Faculty of Physics at ITMO University, compared this effect to the movement of a boat under sail, when a side wind gives it forward motion.
The new approach allows cells to be sorted not only by size and material, but also by their shape. This simplifies the isolation of marker cells, which are important for diagnostics, without significant changes in laboratory settings.
Currently, microfluidic chips are widely used for cell separation, filtering particles by size. The use of acoustic force makes this process more versatile. Experiments have shown that at a frequency of about 230 MHz, an acoustic wave effectively affects elongated red blood cells, separating them from the flow.
Scientists are planning further research to confirm their findings and develop technologies for practical application.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that a device for creating artificial blood vessels was developed in Novosibirsk.
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