At the Laboratory of Vibrations and Acoustics (LaVa) at the Universidad del Valle (Univalle) in Cali, Colombia, a young researcher and his collaborators are developing ultrasonic wave technology with the long-term goal of manipulating living cancer cells in medical research.
The global cell culture market size is projected to grow 11.9% each year from 2022 to 2030, driven by 3D culture and its increasing adoption for biopharmaceutical production and tissue engineering applications, according to a market report from Grand View Research.
Today, tissue cultures usually exist in two dimensions or are constructed in three dimensions on artificial scaffolds that act as a substitute for the extracellular matrix found in living organisms.
Jhoan Fernando Acevedo Espinosa, PhD student in Engineering with emphasis in Solid Mechanics, linked to the Research Group of the Research Group in Seismic, Wind, Geotechnical and Structural Engineering (G-7) explained that Univalle researchers have the goal of replacing the current techniques of tissue engineering with "invisible vessels", i.e. scaffolds made with ultrasound fields. i.e. scaffolds made with ultrasound fields.
"It would be a much cleaner manipulation because the manipulation is non-contact: sound instead of tweezers," Acevedo said.
Photo: Jhoan Fernando Acevedo Espinosa, PhD student in Engineering with emphasis on Solid Mechanics with an ultrasound transducer. Credit: Alexander Bejarano/NCC-FI/Univalle
The Research
The ultrasonic technique of particle manipulation is a method that has clear advantages over traditional micromanipulation techniques (optical, magnetic and electrical) especially at the micro- and nano-scale.
Ultrasonic transducer arrays have been widely used in various particle manipulation applications, and many acoustic field reconstruction algorithms based on ultrasonic transducer arrays have been proposed one after another.
"The challenge now is to design devices that can produce acoustic fields suitable for live cell manipulation," Acevedo said.
Acevedo described that his interest in ultrasound began with a Master of Engineering project, where he designed a pair of sonotrodes that upon electrical excitation induce a spiral-shaped acoustic field, better known as an acoustic vortex, which are used to manipulate and levitate particles in air without contact on a millimetre scale.
This work served as the basis for the development of his doctoral proposal in which he aims to form spheroids of cells in a culture medium through acoustic manipulation.
"It's a sound you can't hear but you can see the results," Acevedo said.
Today, Acevedo, an engineer, is studying cell biology in order to understand cell behaviour and structure, and how it can be affected by interacting with an acoustic field.
"For the project, it is fundamental to understand cells and small devices at the micrometre scale," Acevedo explained.
Professor Joao Luis Ealo Cuello, a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering and Acevedo's thesis director, explained that in Acevedo's specific case, they are searching for ways to optimise the technology.
"We hope at that stage to be able to make a lot of progress towards understanding, to be able to choose the right translators to mature the assembly," said Prof. Ealo.
According to statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, almost 1,200 people died in 2021, with the highest number of deaths in adults over 65 and women.
For Acevedo, this is a great reason to develop this type of technology in a way that is economical and affordable, because this principle of contactless cell manipulation could result in better technologies focused on tissue engineering in the future.
"If you're going to test drugs or cancer treatments, it's better to do it on living cells in conditions as close to the human body as possible, that is, in three dimensions," Acevedo said.
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Photo: Jhoan Fernando Acevedo Espinosa, PhD student in Engineering with emphasis on Solid Mechanics, in the anechoic chamber of the Universidad del Valle. Credit: Alexander Bejarano/NCC-FI/Univalle |
International Collaborations
The Univalle researchers said that international collaborators have helped in developing this technology in Colombia and training professionals in the field.
The main collaborators are Karen Volke-Sepúlveda from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico and Mauricio Hoyos from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France.
Hoyos also has a spin-off company in the field.
"We are aware that here in Colombia we have to develop technological capabilities, although it will take decades," said Professor Ealo.
Acevedo said that in the coming years he has ambitions to be an expert in the field.
"From acoustic manipulation, there are several people working here in Colombia, but not specifically in cell manipulation," Acevedo said.
If you are interested in contacting the researcher or learning more about the project, please write to the Communications Office Faculty of Engineering: comunicaingenieria(at)correounivalle.edu.co
Cover Photo: Jhoan Fernando Acevedo Espinosa, PhD student in Engineering with emphasis on Solid Mechanics Credit: Alexander Bejarano/NCC-FI/Univalle
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