
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
- First 3D Sound-Frequency Map for Inner Ear Created With Advanced X-ray Technologyon February 24, 2021 at 2:02 am
Researchers at Uppsala University have created the first 3D map of the hearing nerve showing where the various sound frequencies are captured. Using what is known as synchrotron X-ray imaging, they ...
- First in Malaysia: IJN introduces sound wave technology to treat clogged arterieson February 22, 2021 at 7:05 pm
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 ― The National Heart Institute (IJN) has revealed a new breakthrough method to treat heart patients with severe atherosclerosis. The procedure, called intravascular ...
- New sound waves hit Chilawon February 22, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Chilaw is mostly known as an area which has produced a few big names in the music Industry, such as Jayasri and the Marians. The musical town of Chilaw is set to make another ‘waveline ’ in music, ...
- IJN turns to sound wave technology to clear clogged arterieson February 22, 2021 at 12:04 pm
PETALING JAYA: The National Heart Institute (IJN) has introduced a new method using sound waves to clear clogged arteries. IJN says the method is safer than using angioplasty and stent placement. IJN ...
- Swimming upstream on sound waveson February 19, 2021 at 12:45 pm
Scientists have succeeded in propelling microvehicles against a fluid flow using ultrasound. In future, these tiny vehicles are set to be introduced into the human bloodstream, thereby revolutionizing ...
- Swimming upstream on sound waves (w/video)on February 19, 2021 at 8:40 am
Scientists have succeeded in propelling microvehicles against a fluid flow using ultrasound. In future, these tiny vehicles are set to be introduced into the human bloodstream, thereby revolutionising ...
- Surface-Acoustic Wave Devices Market is estimated to reach $3.5 million by 2024; growing at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2020 to 2024 | By Kenneth Researchon February 18, 2021 at 6:51 pm
Global Surface-Acoustic Wave Devices Market is estimated to reach $3.5 million by 2024; growing at a CAGR of 7.2% from ...
- How You Can Discern the Sound Waves of Heavenon February 13, 2021 at 5:23 pm
Here are three facts about sound in that natural and how they prophetically parallel with the supernatural voice of God.
- Sound waves from fin whale songs could help us study Earth’s cruston February 10, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Fin whale songs, one of the loudest animal calls in the ocean, can be used to learn about the structure of Earth’s crust. Václav Kuna at the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of ...
- Could we SHAKE rain out of the sky? Aiming powerful low-frequency sound waves at clouds could help to increase rainfall and alleviate droughts, scientists sayon February 5, 2021 at 2:28 am
Low-frequency sound waves aimed at a cloud could help to increase rainfall and alleviate drought in otherwise dry areas, according to a team of Chinese scientists. Researchers from Tsinghua ...
via Google News and Bing News