Breaking the small-size barrier: Ultrasound manipulation of suspended nanoparticles

Using a radically new approach, we attempt to overcome the monumental challenge in contemporary biomedical research of breaking the small-size (500 nm) barrier of controlled high-throughput manipulation of bio-nanoparticles (small bacteria, viruses and exosomes) in aqueous solutions: An acoustic body force, induced by a localized so-called ultrasound vortex wave, is used to both stabilize and move a small high-concentration aggregate of  solute molecules through a nanoparticle suspension. The contrast in acoustic properties between the aggregate and the suspension turns the aggregate into an acoustic trap, which by iso-acoustic focusing captures all target nanoparticles it meets on its way, as it is swept through the suspension. If successful, this dynamic iso-acoustic nanoparticle focusing technique may form the basis of a high-impact game-changing technology in fundamental and applied biochemistry and biomedicine.