Move objects without touching them
Modern science has discovered ways to move things without touching them. This was first done with so-called optical tweezers, which use light, and soon replicated with acoustic tweezers, which use sound.
Acoustic tweezers are of special interest because they can penetrate most materials. Their wide frequency range allows manipulation of items of various sizes, from individual cells to complex objects. They are also harmless to biological tissues.
For this reason, acoustic tweezers can have a wide range of applications, from surgery to drug delivery. The problem is that precise control during their use has been difficult until now in a complex environment such as a living body.
This is changing, thanks to new discoveries published in Nature Physics by researchers from EPFL (Switzerland) and the Vienna University of Technology (Austria).
Pushing with sound waves
The research team used a new method to create acoustic tweezers called “wave-momentum shaping.” The technique is the adaptation to sound waves of a new method that uses light to organize it despite a “cluttered” environment.
In essence, the scattering effect of obstacles is first mapped in a matrix structure (bottom right), allowing one to determine how to use the tweezers despite obstacles in the way.
This scattering matrix changes in real time as the object moves. Updating it in real time was one of the main achievements of the researchers, who used complex mathematical tools to do so.
Source: Nature
This changes the way acoustic tweezers work. Normally, the method captures an object in one place. Instead, the sound waves gently push it along, like a hockey stick pushing a puck.
The method works with spherical objects, but also with more complex shapes. It can also control rotations, which adds more flexibility to the possible movements. It can work with almost any material, where the target does not have to be magnetic or particularly resistant.
Source: Nature
Possible applications
Medical & Biotech
The possibility of direct therapeutic treatment in the whole body without surgery is quite interesting. This could be used in particular for cancer therapy, where administration of the drug directly into the tumor could greatly increase its efficiency.
“Some drug delivery methods already use sound waves to release encapsulated drugs, so this technique is particularly attractive for pushing a drug directly to tumor cells.”
Similarly, biological analyses and sampling can be performed without directly touching the tissues, reducing the risk of contamination or damage from the procedure.
Finally, it could also be used for tissue engineering or even 3D bioprinting. Allowing manipulation without having to cut through it could help create more complex designs, bringing us one step closer to the dream of producing organs on demand.
production
Tiny particles moving randomly in all directions sounds exactly like what 3D printing is trying to achieve.
In this regard, acoustic tweezers could be a new method to add to existing additive manufacturing techniques, where the particles are ordered before they are bonded together into a solid object.
It could also be used to assemble separate parts, even if direct manipulation would not be possible.
Not the first time?
We already cover a similar technology in our article “Acoustic energy emitters may soon eliminate the need for incision during surgeryand”.
In it, we explained how another type of optical tweezers could achieve similar results. In that case, the focus was more on performing operations without incisions and moving small objects inside the body.
However, this was more of a ‘classic’ type of optical tweezers, which fixed the object in one place.
In both cases, acoustic forceps are making great progress in their fundamental sciences, either for surgery with a real-time image via ultrasound, or with highly accurate pushing systems and an up-to-date scattering matrix to keep the desired movement precise.
We must now enter the phase where these technologies are standardized and commercialized, enabling new, innovative therapies and increasing the efficiency of existing therapies.
3D Manipulation Companies
While one of the most advanced robotic surgery systems is sold by Intuitive Surgical (ISRG), the company has less expertise in ultrasound or endoscopy than some competitors. So it’s likely that the first true medical application of acoustic forceps will come from medical device companies that are already adept at integrating many medical device systems such as robots or surgical instruments.
Another possibility is that advances in acoustic tweezers could benefit greatly from 3D printing and bioprinting, so a leading company in this sector could also benefit from this.
1. Medtronic plc
Medtronic is a leader in medical devices, especially in surgery and intensive careAlthough the other segments can also be considered afferent, Medtronic’s medical-surgical segment represents $2.1 billion in revenue, out of a total of $7.7 billion.
Source: Medtronic
The company is growing organically, thanks to a large percentage of its R&D budget ($2.7 billion in 2022) and acquisitions (9 in 2022 and $3.3 billion in further acquisitions under consideration for 2023).
Medtronic sees huge opportunity for simpler, less expensive robotic surgery:
“only 2% of surgeries in the world are performed using robots. There are 98% that should be performed by robotic surgery, but today they are not because of the cost and burden of using it”
With this strategy in mind, Medtronic developed the Hugo system.
Source: Medtronic
It also sells the Mazor X Stealth device for robotic spinal surgerythanks to the $1.7 billion acquisition of Mazor Robotics in December 2018.
Overall, Medtronics’ excellent reputation and presence of equipment in virtually every hospital provides the company with a good starting point to capture a significant share of the emerging robotic surgery market, either through internal development or acquisitions.
It’s already selling endoscopic ultrasound systemsand its presence in cardiology could help apply acoustic tweezer technology to cardiovascular therapies and surgeries.
2. Cyfuse Biomedical KK
The Japanese company was founded in 2010 and began selling 3D printers to researchers in 2013.
The focus is on producing tissues and organs without artificial scaffolding, only the cells themselves, via its S-Spike platformThis is an ambitious goal, but it is also the ultimate form of 3D bioprinting that will likely be adopted over time.
The absence of scaffolding could prove crucial for producing “premium” organs that are as close to native as possible. The technology can only 3D print 2-3 cm organ pieces at a time.
Source: Cyfuse Biomedical
It focuses on 4 segments: articulations, liver, nerve and blood vessels. It could also are used to create ‘training’ organs for surgeonsso that they can learn without endangering a patient’s life.
Source: Cyfuse Biomedical
Cyfuse is not yet profitable (after a brief period of profit in 2021), but already generates a few million dollars in revenue.
This company is for patient investors who expect this technology to become more common and improved to the point where it can build entire organs in one go.
In this regard, advanced acoustic tweezers may miss steps in the assembly of more complex and larger organs.
