Scientists in Australia have made a portable device that gently vibrates stem cells with sound waves to turn them into an aerosol. The system could be an effective route for treating various pulmonary diseases.
Experts in microfluidics for bio-applications have praised the innovative idea. Ciprian Iliescu, at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, describes this as a ‘breakthrough’ and ‘out of the box’ work. ‘Unlike a traditional aerosoliser which needs a nozzle, the design of the device is great as it is nozzle free, avoiding any blockage and contamination problems that are commonly encountered by a traditional aerosoliser,’ he adds. Praveen Vemula at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore, India, agrees that SAW nebulisation of cells ‘is a significant advance in inhaled cell delivery and generalisation of this platform technology to a wide range of cell types might lead to innovative ways to treat pulmonary diseases in the future’.
Read the original research paper in Integrative Biology for free*:
Assessment of the potential of a high frequency acoustomicrofluidic nebulisation platform for inhaled stem cell therapy
Layla Alhasan, Aisha Qi, Amgad R. Rezk, Leslie Y. Yeo and Peggy P. Y. Chan
Integr. Biol., 2016, Advance Article
*Access is free until 19/01/2016 through a registered RSC account