Good vibrations for lab-on-a-chip

March 25, 2004 | Source: Nature Science Update

Sound can be used to guide the movement of cells. The technique could help create a lab-on-a-chip: a device the size of a postage stamp that is capable of running biology or chemistry experiments.

Many laboratory processes, such as sorting of cells into different types, could be miniaturized and automated on such chips. The technique could be particularly useful in sorting cells during disease diagnosis.