Review Article

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-018-0222-9

Acoustic tweezers for the life sciences

Adem Ozcelik 1
, Joseph Rufo1, Feng Guo2, Yuyang Gu1, Peng Li2, James Lata2 and Tony Jun Huang *
1,2

Acoustic tweezers are a versatile set of tools that use sound waves to manipulate bioparticles ranging from nanometer-sized
extracellular vesicles to millimeter-sized multicellular organisms. Over the past several decades, the capabilities of acoustic
tweezers have expanded from simplistic particle trapping to precise rotation and translation of cells and organisms in three
dimensions. Recent advances have led to reconfigured acoustic tweezers that are capable of separating, enriching, and pat-
terning bioparticles in complex solutions. Here, we review the history and fundamentals of acoustic-tweezer technology and
summarize recent breakthroughs.

N
ew discoveries are often preceded by technological progress. However, they are dependent on particle or cell polarizability and
The development of cell theory, for example, is inextricably generally require low-conductivity media, which may disrupt cell
linked to advances in microscopy1. Just as early advances physiology. Optoelectronic tweezers are the dynamic counterpart
in the ability to visualize cells resulted in the development of cell to electrode-based electrokinetic tweezers. Instead of electrodes, a
theory, recent advances in the ability to manipulate single cells and light source and photoconductive substrate induce dielectrophore-
biomolecules have contributed to breakthroughs in microbiology2, sis, thus enabling dynamic manipulation at relatively low optical-
molecular biology3, biophysics4, and bioanalytical chemistry5. power intensities13. However, they are constrained by the same
Acoustic tweezers are an emerging platform for the precise requirement for low-conductivity media, thus restricting their use
manipulation of bioparticles across a broad size range. Acoustic in many biological applications. Hydrodynamic tweezers are per-
tweezers spatially and temporally manipulate matter by using the haps the simplest approach for achieving particle manipulation, by
interaction of sound waves with solids, liquids, and gases. The term using fluid flows to position particles within a microchannel17. They
‘acoustical tweezers’ was first coined to describe the linear transla- are capable of a variety of applications, including trapping, focusing,
tion of latex spheres and frog eggs that were trapped in an acoustic and sorting, but their controllability is rather poor, and their ability
field6. Since then, a substantial number of acoustic-tweezer configu- to manipulate nanoparticles is limited.
rations have been developed for applications in science and engi- Acoustic tweezers are a versatile tool that can address many of
neering. Many of these acoustic-tweezer devices are modeled after the limitations of other particle-manipulation techniques. Because
their predecessor, optical tweezers. Optical tweezers, invented in acoustic waves with frequencies in the kilohertz-to-megahertz
1986 (ref. 7), were quickly adopted as an invaluable tool in biology, range can be easily generated19–21, acoustic tweezers can directly
chemistry, and physics, and have been used to trap viruses, bacte- manipulate particles across a length scale spanning more than five
ria, and cells8,9. Despite being a powerful tool for force spectroscopy orders of magnitude (10−7 to 10−2 m). In addition, the applied acous-
and biomolecular manipulation, traditional optical tweezers require tic power (10−2–10 W/cm2) and frequencies (1 kHz to 500 MHz)
complex optics, including high-powered lasers and high-numerical- are similar to those used in ultrasonic imaging (2–18 MHz, less
aperture objectives, and they are potentially damaging to biological than 1 W/cm2)22, which has been safely used in diagnostic applica-
samples10,11. To improve the accessibility and versatility of contact- tions21,23. Studies on the biocompatibility of acoustic tweezers have
free particle-manipulation technology, alternatives to optical twee- shown that their operating parameters can be optimized to avoid
zers have since been developed. damage in cells24,25 and small-animal models26. For example, red
Additional platforms for contactless particle manipulation rely blood cells placed in an acoustic-tweezer device for up to 30 min
on different mechanisms, including magnetic12, optoelectronic13, show no changes in cell viability25, and zebrafish embryos placed
plasmonic14, electrokinetic15,16, and hydrodynamic forces17 (over- in an acoustic-tweezer device for the same duration do not exhibit
view of the operating parameters and system requirements for these developmental impairments or changes in mortality rates26. The
techniques in Table 1). Magnetic and optical tweezers provide the versatility and biocompatibility of acoustic tweezers should allow
highest degree of spatial resolution; however, manipulating particles current challenges in biology and biomedicine to be addressed, such
smaller than 100 nm is challenging with either technique. Plasmonic as the isolation and detection of circulating biomarkers for cancer
tweezers are a variation of optical tweezers that make use of locally diagnostics27. These biomarkers range in size from nanometer-sized
enhanced electromagnetic fields on nanostructured substrates. extracellular vesicles28 to micrometer-sized circulating tumor cells
Plasmonic tweezers require lower laser power and are capable of (CTCs)29. Moreover, acoustic tweezers are capable of isolating both
trapping nanometer-sized particles, but the large localized inten- extracellular vesicles30 and CTCs31, capabilities valuable for oncol-
sities that help to trap particles can also lead to substantial heat- ogy laboratories. For cell-to-cell and cell-to-environment interac-
ing of the surrounding fluid18. As a result, thermal management of tion studies, precise control over the physical position of cells, while
these devices is necessary to prevent sample heating and convective preserving normal physiology, is necessary. Acoustic tweezers can
flows. Electrokinetic tweezers, which use both electrophoretic and form flexible 2D32 and 3D33 cell arrays and have been used in inter-
dielectrophoretic forces, apply an electric field to trap and manipu- cellular communication studies34. Furthermore, noninvasive tools
late particles across the nanometer–to-millimeter size range15,16. for manipulating organisms are required to investigate internal

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. 2Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics,
1

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. *e-mail: [email protected]

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Review Article NATuRe MeTHOds

Table 1 | Summary of different particle-manipulation platforms

Technique Size range Input powera Spatial resolution Labeling required Additional system requirements
(W/cm2)
Acoustic tweezers 100 nm–10 10−2–10 1–10 µ​m No Acoustic source
mm
Optical tweezers7–9 100 nm–1 106–107 0.1–1 nm Required for smaller High-powered laser, high-numerical-
mm particles aperture lens
Magnetic tweezers12 1 µ​m–10 µ​m 1–10 tesla 1–10 nm Yes Permanent magnet,
superparamagnetic beads
Optoelectronic tweezers13 100 nm–10 10−2–10 1–10 µ​m No Photoconductive substrate,
µ​m low-conductivity media
Plasmonic tweezers14 10 nm–1 µ​m 102–104 10–100 nm No Plasmonic substrate, heat sink
Electrokinetic tweezers 15,16
1 nm–1 mm 10 –10 V/m
4 7
0.1–1 µ​m Yes Prepatterned electrodes,
Low-conductivity media
Hydrodynamic tweezers17 100 nm–1 N/A 1–10 µ​m No Multiple pressure regulators,
mm flow-control algorithm
a
The minimum field strength is reported for magnetic and electrokinetic tweezers.

processes, such as the neuronal activity in Caenorhabditis elegans35. surface39. 1D and 2D interference patterns can be achieved by using
Acoustic tweezers have been used to manipulate and rotate C. ele- sets of two and four IDTs, respectively39,40 (Fig. 1b). Suspended par-
gans36 as well as larger organisms, such as zebrafish embryos26, with ticles in a standing SAW field move to pressure nodes or antinodes
no adverse effects. according to their physical properties41. In addition to 2D in-plane
Although acoustic tweezers have been used in various biological manipulation, standing SAWs are used to achieve 3D manipulation
studies, the versatility of acoustic tweezers has proven to be a double- by exploiting the modulation of acoustic parameters (for example,
edged sword. Currently, many different acoustic-tweezer platforms phase shifts and amplitude modulation), thus enabling the trapping
are available, each with advantages and shortcomings; however, for position to be changed in real time33. Owing to their compact size,
researchers who are not technical experts in the field, identifying the SAW-based tweezers can be conveniently integrated with microflu-
acoustic-tweezer technology best suited for a particular application idic systems enabling versatile lab-on-a-chip tools40.
is difficult. For example, for manipulating nanometer-sized objects, Standing-wave tweezers are mainly used for separating and pat-
should an acoustic-tweezer device based on surface acoustic waves terning different types of particles and cells. Whereas BAW-based
(SAWs) or bulk acoustic waves (BAWs) be used? Which acoustic- standing-wave tweezers have the advantage of handling higher vol-
tweezer platform is best for handling large volumes of biofluids? umes of fluids in a shorter time, as is desirable for blood processing
What if precise control over a particle’s position in three dimensions in transfusion applications, SAW-based tweezers have higher preci-
is required? In this review, we hope to answer these questions by sion, owing to the higher frequencies used42, thus rendering them
categorizing the different types of acoustic tweezers and identifying more suitable for nanoparticle manipulation and tissue-engineering
their strengths and weaknesses. We review recent advances in the applications.
field and conclude with an outlook for future development.
Travelling-wave tweezers. Travelling-wave tweezers, which consist
Operating principles of acoustic tweezers of two subgroups, active and passive methods, are able to form arbi-
The three primary types of acoustic tweezers are standing-wave trary pressure nodes in 3D space by controlling the phase patterns
tweezers, traveling-wave tweezers, and acoustic-streaming twee- of the acoustic waves. Active traveling-wave tweezers make use of a
zers. Both standing-wave and traveling-wave tweezers manipulate single acoustic-transducer element or an array of elements43–45. By
particles or fluids directly via an applied acoustic radiation force, selectively controlling each individual element in an array, active
whereas acoustic-streaming tweezers indirectly manipulate parti- methods can produce complex acoustic beams that result in dynamic
cles via acoustically induced fluid flows. The characteristics of each manipulation capabilities (Fig. 1c). Passive methods use structures
type of acoustic tweezers, including advantages, disadvantages, and with features that are smaller than the acoustic wavelength, such
suitable applications, are listed in Table 2. as acoustic metamaterials and phononic crystals, to manipulate the
acoustic waves46–48. Passive methods are an inexpensive approach
Standing-wave tweezers. Standing-wave tweezers can be divided for modulating acoustic waves and forming complex beam patterns
into two subtypes, BAWs and SAWs, according to their method of (Fig. 1d). SAW-based traveling-wave tweezers featuring a single
acoustic-wave generation. BAWs use piezoelectric transducers to IDT are mainly used for on-chip cell and particle manipulation in
convert an electrical signal into mechanical waves. They are widely sorting applications. Compared with standing-wave tweezers, trav-
used for particle and cell manipulation by forming resonance pat- eling-wave tweezers can more easily be modulated in real time and
terns inside channels37 (Fig. 1a). Acoustic waves reflected from the are better suited for applications requiring arbitrary patterning or
reflection layer form standing waves and establish a pressure dis- single object handling (e.g., cell printing or single-cell analysis).
tribution in the fluid. Through adjustment of the frequency with
respect to the dimensions of the channel geometry, the number of Acoustic-streaming tweezers. The steady flow generated by the
pressure nodes and antinodes in the channel can be tailored38. The absorption of acoustic energy by the liquid can also be used to
periodic distribution of pressure nodes produces acoustic radia- indirectly manipulate particles in a solution49,50. This flow, termed
tion forces that determine the trajectories and positions of particles acoustic streaming, is most commonly generated via oscillating
inside these resonators. SAWs, in contrast, are commonly generated microbubbles or oscillating solid structures. Oscillating micro-
by interdigitated transducers (IDTs) patterned on a piezoelectric bubbles can produce sufficient acoustic radiation forces to trap

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NATuRe MeTHOds Review Article
Table 2 | Different types of acoustic tweezers
Type Subtype Advantages Disadvantages Applications
Standing-wave tweezers Surface acoustic Precision (for example, Low throughput (<​1 mL/ Nanoparticle manipulation,
waves40 the ability to manipulate min); limited acoustic-field cell separation,
nanoparticles);simple, compact, pattern cell patterning, cell
inexpensive devices and concentration, 3D
accessories translation and rotation
Bulk acoustic waves71 High throughput (e.g., 10 mL/min) Limited precision; excessive Cell separation, sample
heat generated due to high preparation, levitation of
power cells and small organisms
Traveling-wave tweezers Active43 Flexibility (i.e., the ability to rewrite Typically multiple Cell sorting, real-time cell
the acoustic field in real time) transducers needed; patterning for bioprinting
multiplexed transmission and tissue engineering, 3D
system needed translation and rotation of
cells and droplets
Passive46 Simple, easily fabricated Generation of only a few Cell patterning, levitation
structures;simple electronic acoustic-field patterns with of droplets, high-resolution
control scheme one structure; complex ultrasonic imaging
simulation and calculations
needed
Acoustic-streaming tweezers Bubble based36,52,72 Selective frequency actuation Unstable bubble size; Fluid mixing and pumping,
limited reproducibility 3D rotation of cells and
small organisms, neural
stimulation
Solid structure Stability and reproducibility; ability Limited vibration patterns Fluid mixing and pumping,
based53,54 to handle highly viscous fluids (for 3D rotation of cells and
example, blood and sputum) small organisms

a c e Channel
Reflection layer Particle Particle

Particle
Bubbles
Matching
layer
Transducer
Transducer Transducer array

b IDTs d f
Particle Particle Channel

IDTs Passive structure

Particle
Solid
structures
SAWs
Transducer
Transducer

Fig. 1 | Illustrations of various acoustic-tweezer technologies. a, A typical BAW-based standing-wave tweezer device. The number of pressure nodes and
antinodes inside the channel is determined by adjusting the applied acoustic wave frequency with respect to the distance between the matching layer and
the reflection layer. b, SAW-based standing-wave tweezers use IDTs to generate mechanical waves. Four sets of IDTs are used to generate a 2D pressure-
node field that traps and patterns particles. c, Active traveling-wave tweezers with a transducer array to manipulate particles. By controlling the relative
phase of the acoustic wave from each transducer, flexible pressure nodes can be formed to achieve dynamic patterning. d, Passive traveling-wave tweezers
with a single transducer to achieve complex acoustic distributions and control over particles. e, Acoustic-streaming tweezers use oscillating microbubbles
inside a microfluidic channel to generate out-of-plane acoustic microstreaming flows. f, Solid-structure-based acoustic-streaming tweezers generate a
directional fluid flow under acoustic excitation.

cells, particles, or small organisms on the bubble surface52 (e.g., the and enable fluidic actuation by enhancing mass transport across
magnitude of the acoustic radiation forces to move red blood cells laminar flows in confined microchannels52. Similarly to microbub-
is approximately 2 pN (ref. 51)) (Fig. 1e). Streaming vortices created bles, acoustically driven sharp-edge structures or thin membranes
by oscillating bubbles can also rotate particles at a fixed position36 oscillate in a liquid (Fig. 1f), thus resulting in acoustic streaming,

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a x b
z
y
Acoustic streaming
Gor'kov potential

z
x
y
x 3D trapping node
y

c ALA dendrites 0° rotation d

~45° rotation
15 µm 10 µm

~90° rotation
L
A P
R 5 µm 0 µm

Fig. 2 | Acoustic manipulation of various sample sizes and types. a, Two pairs of IDTs are configured to generate a planar standing-wave field. The
inset demonstrates the path of a single particle in 3D33. b, Numerical simulation results show the mapping of the acoustic field around a single particle
that demonstrates the operating principle for 3D manipulation with standing-wave tweezers33. c, Acoustically driven microbubbles are used to trap and
rotationally manipulate C. elegans under a fluorescence microscope to visualize ALA-neuron dendrites that are overlapping in the dorsoventral view36. A,
anterior; P, posterior; L, left; R, right. Scale bar, 40 μ​m. d, Two HEK 293T cells are manipulated toward each other and brought into contact for intercellular-
communication applications34. Scale bar, 20 μ​m. a, b, and d are reprinted with permission from refs 33,34, respectively, National Academy of Sciences. c is
reprinted with permission from ref. 36, Springer Nature.

owing to viscous attenuation. These streaming flows generate wave tweezer by using two sets of orthogonally positioned IDTs, the
regions of recirculation or pressure gradients that can be used in inclusions inside the liquid are manipulated along any user-defined
particle manipulation, fluid mixing, and pumping applications53,54. path in a 2D plane33 (Fig. 2a). Furthermore, the position along
Acoustic-streaming tweezers tend to be simple devices that are easy the z axis can be controlled by exploiting SAW-generated stream-
to operate; however—in contrast to traveling-wave tweezers, which ing, which enables complete 3D-manipulation capabilities inside
can be used in liquids and in air—acoustic-streaming tweezers can a liquid domain33 (Fig. 2b). SAW-based standing-wave tweezers
operate only in liquids. In addition, acoustic-streaming tweezers can be used for dynamically printing complex patterns of cells33,34
offer a lower degree of spatial resolution, because microbubble- and for heterogeneous layer-by-layer tissue engineering62. Off-chip
and microstructure-based phenomena are nonlinear. These twee- manipulation capabilities of standing-wave tweezers through use of
zers are primarily used for fluid handling55, such as pumping or ceramic piezo transducers have been applied to in vivo cell manipu-
mixing of highly viscous fluids, or rotational manipulation applica- lation inside blood vessels59. This approach can be adapted for in
tions (Table 2). vivo flow cytometry applications, especially for studying human
diseases in animal models.
Versatility of acoustic tweezers
The primary advantage of acoustic tweezers stems from their abil- From translational to rotational motions. Acoustic tweezers
ity to perform a diverse set of particle and fluid manipulations. enable rotational manipulation of cells, microstructures, droplets,
Although other platforms, such as optical and magnetic tweezers, and model organisms36,44,63–65. For example, SAW-based traveling-
offer superior spatial resolution (Table 1), acoustic tweezers provide wave tweezers achieve a fast rotation of liquid droplets that can
a versatile, noninvasive, and highly scalable approach for perform- be used for cell lysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction in a
ing complex manipulations of different biological targets. miniaturized setting63. Microstreaming flows generated by acous-
tic-streaming tweezers enable rotational manipulation of cells and
From 1D to 3D translation. Acoustic tweezers enable three degrees organisms for 3D optical imaging applications. By gradually rotat-
of freedom in manipulating samples. Although optical, magnetic, ing C. elegans via acoustic-streaming tweezers36 (Fig. 2c), green flu-
and electrokinetic tweezers can also achieve 3D manipulation, orescent protein–expressing cells that appear to overlap in a single
acoustic tweezers provide a versatile label-free approach that is view can be resolved and clearly imaged.
independent of the dielectric or magnetic properties of samples
and media19,21,56–58. The simplest mode of acoustic tweezing is to From millimeter to micrometer to nanometer scales. Acoustic
push inclusions to pressure nodes or antinodes depending on tweezers enable manipulation of samples with sizes from 100 nm
their relative densities with respect to the medium. This mode of up to 10 mm, a range that no other manipulation method is capable
manipulation occurs in 1D, by using one set of parallel IDTs, and of (Table 1). Generally, acoustic tweezers with lower frequencies are
is commonly used to focus59, sort60,61, and separate41 particles and better suited for samples with millimeter sizes, owing to the larger
cells. By controlling the position of the pressure nodes in a standing- forces and spot sizes achievable43,66,67. Cells and nanoparticles are

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NATuRe MeTHOds Review Article
a acoustic tweezers can be integrated with existing tools in biology
and medicine.

Applications of acoustic tweezers in biology and medicine

The versatility of acoustic tweezers enables them to address current
challenges in biology and medicine. From the large-scale isolation
of CTCs to the manipulation of individual proteins, acoustic twee-
b
Pipetting holes
Transducers zers are becoming an attractive alternative to conventional particle-
and fluid-manipulation tools in areas ranging from diagnostics to
single-molecule studies.

Isolation of circulating biomarkers. Recently, the ‘liquid biopsy’,

a noninvasive means of evaluating patient health through the col-
Ejection area
lection and analysis of circulating biomarkers, has been identified
as a potentially transformative technology in biomedical research77.
Mixing Reflector Circulating biomarkers, including CTCs29, cell-free DNA78, and
area
exosomes79, are recognized as promising biological targets for the
development of liquid biopsies for both diagnostic and prognostic
applications. One of the primary obstacles in the development of
liquid biopsies is the isolation of circulating biomarkers. The versa-
tility of acoustic tweezers has allowed them to be used for label-free,
24-well plate
size-based isolation of both CTCs and exosomes.
SAW-based standing-wave tweezers have been used to success-
fully isolate CTCs from blood samples taken from patients with
Fig. 3 | Acoustic manipulation of single particles and droplets. a, A
metastatic breast cancer31. This approach has also been used to iso-
polystyrene particle is levitated and moved in 3D by controlling the phase
late exosomes from whole blood30 (Fig. 4). In this configuration,
difference in active traveling-wave tweezers43. Scale bar, 20 mm.
consecutive acoustic-tweezer modules are integrated onto a single
b, Acoustic-based droplet manipulation in an open system is
microfluidic chip. The first module removes all blood components
demonstrated. Two droplets that are pipetted from the holes are
larger than 1 µ​m, including platelets and red and white blood cells;
transported, mixed, and ejected into a 24-well plate66. a and b are reprinted
the second module isolates exosomes from other extracellular ves-
with permission from refs 43,66, respectively, Springer Nature.
icles (diameter greater than 140 nm). The cell-removal rate of this
device exceeds 99.999%, thus producing isolated exosome samples
better handled by SAW-based acoustic tweezers, which provide with a purity of ~98% and a yield of ~82%. This ability of acous-
higher frequencies, smaller active regions, and better precision30,68. tic tweezers to isolate exosomes with both high purity and high
Acoustic tweezers are commonly used to manipulate millimeter- yield holds promise for future diagnostic applications and studies
sized objects, such as C. elegans36,69 (Fig. 2c), and micrometer-sized seeking to uncover new exosome-related biomarkers for different
objects, such as cells34 (Fig. 2d), because the forces generated by disease states.
acoustic tweezers scale well across micro- to millimeter length
scales. In addition, isolation of ~100-nm exosomes from whole Single-cell analysis. The field of single-cell analysis aims to observe
blood30 has been achieved. complex cellular properties that may be masked by conventional
Although acoustic tweezers are commonly integrated into micro- population-averaging assays. In many single-cell-based studies,
fluidics to achieve high precision in a miniaturized platform, they manipulation techniques are required to position cells before analy-
can also be scaled up into macrofluidic applications. This feature sis and to ensure identical optical-interrogation conditions for each
enables various biomedical applications such as blood transfusions, cell. Owing to their noninvasive nature, acoustic tweezers have been
tissue engineering, and drug discovery, in which high-throughput extensively used to conduct cell manipulations for single-cell analy-
handling of a large number of particles is needed. Acoustic separa- sis, particularly in applications in which preserving normal cell
tion of platelets from whole blood with a throughput of 10 mL/min physiology after manipulation is desirable.
and a greater than 80% removal rate of red and white blood cells, Trapping and patterning cells in large 2D arrays is one strat-
and recovery rate of platelets, has been achieved70. egy used to observe the behavior of cells over time in response to
environmental stimuli. This approach has been used to study top-
From particles to droplets to bulk fluids. Compared with other ics ranging from cell–cell interactions34 to the transfer of viruses
particle-manipulation technologies, acoustic tweezers can manip- between cells42. However, most acoustic-tweezer platforms trap
ulate a wider spectrum of sample types, including particles inside clusters of cells rather than individual cells when forming 2D arrays,
droplets71, bulk fluids72, and air43. Simple yet functional on-chip thus limiting their use in true single-cell studies. Recently, gigahertz
fluid actuation applications have also been realized by oscillating frequencies of standing SAWs have been used to generate 2D pat-
microbubbles and sharp-edged solid microstructures53,73. As a gen- terns of individual cells (Fig. 5)42. In that work, a small number of
eral guideline, for on-chip53,73 and on-surface74,75 fluid-manipula- Plasmodium falciparum–infected red blood cells were observed
tion applications, acoustic-streaming tweezers are more suitable. after 2D patterning (Fig. 5d) to study pathogen biology. The ability
For open-system fluid and particle manipulation, the levitation to trap individual cells in 2D arrays shows promise for the use of
capabilities of standing-wave and traveling-wave tweezers can be acoustic tweezers in future studies of cell-to-cell, cell-to-bacterium,
applied76. For instance, a 2-mm polystyrene particle can be levitated and organism-to-bacterium interactions.
and moved along a 3D path by using traveling-wave-based acoustic
tweezers43 (Fig. 3a). Similarly, droplets can also be levitated, moved, Single-molecule analysis. The study of biomolecules at the individ-
and merged in mid-air, thus enabling off-chip fluid handling and ual level can provide insights into the forces and motions associated
sample-preparation applications66,67 (Fig. 3b). Here, the sorting with biological processes. Conventional tools for single-biomole-
of droplets into a 24-well plate demonstrates the ease with which cule analysis include optical tweezers, magnetic tweezers, and

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Review Article NATuRe MeTHOds

a Whole blood b c
PBS Module 1: Cell removal Module 2: Exosome isolation
PBS

RBCs
WBCs
PLTs
PBS

Module 1:
cell removal Acoustics Acoustics
off off

Cell-waste outlet
Vesicle-waste outlet

Exosome
ABs outlet
Module 2:
MVs Acoustics
exosome isolation Acoustics
EXOs on on

Fig. 4 | Acoustic isolation of exosomes from whole blood30. a, A schematic depiction of exosome isolation via standing-wave tweezers. Red blood cells
(RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets (PLTs) are filtered by the cell-removal module, and then subgroups of extracellular vesicles (ABs, apoptotic
bodies; MVs, microvesicles; EXOs, exosomes) are separated by the exosome-isolation module. b,c, Images were taken under a microscope at the cell-
removal module (b) and the exosome-isolation module (c) of the device. b, RBCs, WBCs, and PLTs are shown to be pushed to the cell-waste outlet in the
cell-removal module. c, Exosomes are separated from microvesicles and apoptotic bodies at the exosome-isolation module. Scale bars, 500 µ​m. Reprinted
with permission from ref. 30, National Academy of Sciences.

atomic force microscopy. However, the complexity of these instru- tweezers make them a versatile platform capable of handling a wide
ments has largely confined their use to highly specialized laborato- range of applications in biology, biophysics, and medicine.
ries. In addition, most of these tools are inherently low throughput, Despite their favorable traits, substantial technological limita-
capable of analyzing only one molecule at a time. Recently, acoustic tions must be addressed before acoustic tweezers can be readily
tweezers have entered the field of single-molecule analysis, thus adopted by the scientific and medical communities. For example,
providing a low-cost, high-throughput alternative for conducting one major drawback of current acoustic tweezers is their limited
studies on nucleic acid molecules and proteins80. In this approach, spatial resolution. It is challenging for acoustic tweezers to reach
one end of a molecule is tethered to a glass microchamber, and as high a frequency as optical tweezers can, thus limiting the preci-
the other end is attached to a microsphere. When a standing wave sion of acoustic tweezers. Various research efforts related to meta-
is applied to the chamber, the microsphere moves toward well- materials and phononic crystals are currently being developed that
defined pressure nodes within the chamber and stretches the mol- can overcome the diffraction limit and increase the resolution to
ecule of interest. By comparing the displacement of the bead with be smaller than half of the wavelength46–48. This improvement can
the magnitude of the applied force, insights into the bond strength substantially improve the precision of the acoustic tweezers with-
of the molecule, along with its conformational properties, can be out increasing the frequency. These new concepts could be imple-
obtained. This approach, termed acoustic force spectroscopy, is mented to enable the manipulation of an individual cell among
capable of applying forces ranging from 0.3 fN to 200 pN (ref. 81). many others and enable the creation of heterotypic cell assemblies
Magnetic tweezers and atomic force microscopy are slightly more with customized properties (i.e., prescribed cell type, cell number,
versatile in this regard, being capable of applying forces ranging cell–cell distance, and cell organization).
from 0.01–104 pN and 10–104 pN, respectively82. However, because In addition to the technological innovations to improve acous-
acoustic force spectroscopy can simultaneously apply forces to tic tweezers, more in-depth and comprehensive research is needed
thousands of microspheres, it can achieve much higher throughput to characterize their influence on the structures, properties, and
than its conventional counterparts, which typically manipulate only functions of the specimens manipulated by acoustic tweezers.
one particle at a time. Published research efforts have supported the biocompatibility of
acoustic tweezers30,31. However, these efforts are limited to a spe-
Conclusions and perspectives cific acoustic system, and the parameters used in those studies can-
There are five main factors contributing to the versatility of acoustic not be used as a reference for different acoustic-tweezer platforms.
tweezers: (i) the ability to manipulate both fluids and particles in To further promote the adoption of acoustic tweezers by the biol-
fluids; (ii) the ability to manipulate particles, regardless of geomet- ogy and medical communities, more standardized characterization
ric, electrical, magnetic, or optical properties, in a variety of dif- parameters should be examined to quantify their effects on speci-
ferent media (for example, air, aqueous solutions, undiluted blood, mens, such as the acoustic pressure and associated fluidic shear
and sputum); (iii) the ability to manipulate particles, cells, and stresses on each cell, and the subsequent gene and protein expres-
organisms across a wide range of length scales, from nanometers sion after acoustic irradiation. As more device-standardization and
(for example, exosomes and nanowires) to millimeters (for example, specimen-characterization data become available, researchers will
C. elegans); (iv) the ability to select and to manipulate a single par- gain confidence in using acoustic tweezers to probe more delicate
ticle or a large group of particles (for example, billions of cells); and and intriguing biological processes and investigate problems in
(v) the ability to handle fluidic throughputs ranging from 1 nL/min cancer–immune cell interactions, pathogen–host interactions, and
to 100 mL/min. The simplicity and biocompatibility of acoustic developmental biology.

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NATuRe MeTHOds Review Article
a d

b c
SAW SAW

PDMS
H2O

SAW SAW

Fig. 5 | Acoustic-based 2D single-cell patterning42. a, Schematic depiction of a single-cell-patterning device with one cell per pressure node. b, 6.1-µ​m
polystyrene particles suspended in water are introduced inside a microchannel. PDMS, polydimethylsiloxane. c, After the acoustic field with a frequency of 171
MHz is turned on, particles are patterned as one particle per acoustic well. Scale bar, 100 μ​m. d, A sample of red blood cells patterned in 2D easily revealed cells
infected with the green fluorescent protein–expressing malarial parasite P. falciparum. Scale bars, 40 μ​m. Reprinted with permission from ref. 42, Springer Nature.

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Procedia 70, 34–37 (2015). © Springer Nature America, Inc. 2018

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