SBIR Phase I: Low-Cost, Acoustic Flow Cytometry Analyzer/Imager

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I develops a new acoustic particle focusing technology in a low-cost flow cytometry analyzer/imager that is capable of both high particle analysis rates (1000's particles/s) and capturing images from user selected subpopulations of cells. This new technology will give researchers the ability to rapidly search through large populations of cells while imaging only those of interest. This project will examine and resolve the technological hurdles and demonstrate the technology in a proof-of-principle device. The broader impacts of this research are in the areas drug discovery, medicine, homeland security, and general biomedical research. Acoustic focusing, with triggered imaging, combines the traditional high throughput and statistical power of flow cytometry with the high information content of imaging. This combination will reduce cost and increase information in drug discovery assays, allow high content/rare target analysis in cancer diagnostics and open doors to new high throughput/high content assays in cell biology. It will also bring this combination of analysis to dilute samples which will lead to new applications in urinalysis, environmental monitoring, and industrial contamination. Acoustic cytometry combines adjustable flow velocities with tight single particle/cell focusing. If this technology can be implemented at a lower-cost than conventional solutions, it will have broad impact on world health and research by making cell analysis more accessible to researchers and clinicians worldwide.