via West Virginia University
Sound waves could be the future of biomedical research, diagnosing and treatment, says Peng Li, a chemistry professor at West Virginia University.
Li is a data analyst for an ongoing research study using an acoustic device to separate extracellular vesicles for a deeper look at their properties.
“What we are doing here matters because if we isolate these properties, people will be able to understand how they connect to diseases,” Li said.
Li is assisting a team of researchers to develop an acoustic device that uses sound waves to split cells, which could eventually assist medical professionals during diagnoses and examinations. Because the sound waves are used at a very high frequency, they cannot be heard—but the work the acoustic device is capable of could lead to breakthroughs in the future.
“Down the road, this research has the potential to be a useful mile marker to sterilize a way to isolate the cells and extracellular vesicles for diagnoses,” Li said.
Li hopes this study will allow the research team to transfer centralized tests into a form of at-home care. Many patients travel to hospitals and labs for important diagnostic tests, such as cardiac biomarkers and cancer biomarkers, because the procedures can only be conducted by medical professionals. He hopes this research will eventually lead to patients’ ability to test themselves at home and inform the results to their doctors immediately, similar to pregnancy and blood sugar tests. At-home tests would save a lot of time and money while also providing in-home healthcare for rural communities that do not have these resources readily available.
“The ability to move and manipulate objects using sound is very powerful,” said Gregory Dudley, chair of the C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry. “We are pleased to have someone with Li’s expertise and vision on our faculty, and we look forward to the contributions that his research team can make in the exciting field of acoustofluidics.
Li and the research team aspire to make their acoustic device more efficient moving forward, which will help doctors diagnose and analyze cancer and neurological cases more efficiently. The team is also interested in using the device to help recreate prenatal devices to find any issues with the pregnancy faster than before.
“We are satisfied with where the research is now, but down the road we want to provide more,” Li said. “If we can provide faster results, the doctors will have an easier life because results and analysis will be found faster based on one sample, so if we want to do that we have to improve efficiency.”
Learn more: Using sound waves for biomedical breakthroughs
The Latest on: Sound waves
- Imagine a massage for your nervous system. I tried a sound bath, and here's how it went.on August 5, 2022 at 2:00 am
Imagine getting a massage but for your brain and nervous system. That's kind of what a sound bath is — loosely akin to yoga and a stepping stone to meditation. The ultimate goal is to help the body ...
- Wave Crest Shaped Sound Absorbing Cotton Market Insight | Report of 99 Pages| Growing CAGR |Leading Players | During Forecast Period 2022-2028on August 2, 2022 at 12:02 am
Global Wave Crest Shaped Sound Absorbing Cotton Market Analysis and Outlook: The prime objective of this Global "Wave ...
- Using Sound Waves to Develop Smart Materials and Medical Deviceson July 17, 2022 at 4:59 pm
Researchers in Australia have developed a novel way to use high-frequency sound waves in combination with chemistry to develop new smart materials, nanoparticles, and medical devices. A team at RMIT ...
- White Noise, Pink Noise, and Brown Noise: What's the Difference?on July 11, 2022 at 5:01 pm
But it uses deeper sounds and lower sound waves, so it may be gentler and more soothing. Basically, pink has a lower pitch than white noise. Pink noise uses a consistent frequency, or pitch ...
- Theoretical model describing the motion of ultrasound waves in the presence of multiple bubbleson July 11, 2022 at 10:01 am
Now, scientists at the University of Tsukuba have extended the conventional model of sound wave propagation to include multiple bubbles. The Khokhlov—Zabolotskaya—Kuznetsov (KZK) equation has ...
- Multi-bubble mathon July 11, 2022 at 9:35 am
Now, scientists at the University of Tsukuba have extended the conventional model of sound wave propagation to include multiple bubbles. The Khokhlov—Zabolotskaya—Kuznetsov (KZK) equation has ...
- Sound Wave: Official band of Sounders FCon July 9, 2022 at 1:20 pm
Brian MacMillan gets a chance to meet members of 'Sound Wave', the official band of the Seattle Sounders, just before the Cascadia Cup rivalry match against the Portland Timbers.
- Samantha Fierke, OK Samaritan among latest Columbia locals to release quality musicon July 8, 2022 at 8:05 am
Columbia never ceases making music, sending out sound waves from mid-Missouri to the greater Midwest and beyond. Several Columbia-forged artists recently loosed new work into the atmosphere.
- Why do pianos and guitars sound different?on July 8, 2022 at 1:31 am
When we play a certain note on a piano, for example, the note C, we are able to distinguish it from the same exact note played by a guitar, a violin or any other instrument. The difference in the ...
- Brand-new computer chip uses sound waves for data, not electricityon June 30, 2022 at 5:08 am
Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a chip that can use sound waves to carry data instead of electromagnetic (EM ...
via Google News and Bing News