New acoustic separation method ‘could help to identify cancer cells’

Engineers at Penn State University have developed an acoustic separation method for isolating circulating cancer cells from blood samples.

The new method utilises an acoustic tweezer device about twice the size of a penny, which employs two sound transducers to move the cells out of the stream for separation.

Unlike conventional separation methods that centrifuge for ten minutes at 3,000 revolutions per minute, surface acoustic waves can isolate cells in a much gentler way, using simple, low-cost technology.

The researchers used two types of human cancer cells to optimise the separation – HELA and MCF7 and then ran an experiment that demonstrated a separation rate of more than 83 percent. This was also matched when using other cancer cells for which the device had not been optimised.

Tony Jun Huang, professor of engineering science and mechanics at the university, said: "Because these devices are intended for use with human blood, they need to be disposable. We are currently figuring out manufacturing and mass production possibilities."

It is hoped that this technique could have diagnostic, prognostic and treatment applications, making it easier to monitor how patients react to chemotherapy and to make therapeutic decisions.