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New ultrasound technique detects disease biomarkers at microscopic level
When nanoparticles are inside a capillary, the vortex concentrates the particles, sending them swirling into the middle of the tube and creating a very narrow stream
Special laboratory equipment is usually used to detect disease biomarkers on a microscopic level, but researchers from the U.S. and China are developing a point-of-care diagnostic test that uses ultrasound technology.
Research published in the journal ACS Nano explains that the device uses sound waves to boost the signal from disease biomarkers. If a clinical device is developed, physicians will be able to perform more diagnostic tests in their offices.
Ultrasound can be used to examine blood components, cells and protein crystals, but Tony Huang, professor at Duke University, and his colleagues wanted to take that a step further. They pioneered a technique that can detect even smaller particles and biomarkers for diseases such as cancer.
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They created an acoustofluidic chip that uses vibrations to form a streaming vortex inside a tiny glass capillary tube, with only a minimal amount of energy. Tests showed that the vortex can force nanoparticles that range in diameter from 80 to 500 nanometers to swirl into the center of the capillary.
The nanoparticles then captured biomarkers that were labeled with a fluorescent tag and concentrated them in the capillary to boost their signal, which increases the brightness. Huang and his team hope that the biomarkers’ signal could eventually be analyzed with a smartphone app.
