Acoustic tweezers ‘could revolutionise X-ray crystallography’

New research has led to the development of a device that can be used to precisely position small objects using acoustic waves, thus opening up new frontiers for X-ray crystallography.

Led by Penn State Materials Research Institute, the study saw scientists and engineers using the technology to position fragile protein crystals spanning a few micrometres in the path of a crystallography X-ray beam.

The microfluidic device uses ultrasound waves produced by piezoelectric transducers to gently and precisely position biological samples without damage. This could be preferable to current methods, which involve the use of small needle-like cryoloops in a slow and inefficient process that cannot be applied to very small crystals.

It is hoped that this technique will make it possible to collect data on previously intractable samples, thus enabling new discoveries in virtually all fields of chemistry, biology and medicine.

For example, scientists may be able to separate different blood components via this method, or to separate cancer cells from blood and manipulate nanorod motors inside living cells.

Jarrod French, an assistant professor of biochemistry and cell biology at Stony Brook University, said: "Our new device, which enables the precise manipulation and patterning of protein crystals using surface acoustic waves, is a transformative technology for structural biologists."