On cells and sound

Spiros Kotopoulis (1) , Anthony Delalande (2) , Chantal Pichon (2) , Michiel Postema (1, 2, 3)

1 University of Hull [United Kingdom]
2 CBM - Centre de biophysique moléculaire
3 UiB - Department of Physics and Technology [Bergen]

Ultrasound as a therapeutic means is increasing in popularity, owing to its non-invasiveness and low cost. Biomedical applications include surgery, cyanobacteria eradication, and drug and gene delivery. Recent advances have been associated with the ultrasound-induced formation of transient porosities in cell membranes. These and other applications have been associated with the behaviour of medical microbubbles near cells. Common methods of studying the dynamic behaviour of microbubbles are high-speed photography and optical microscopy. Here, we give a brief overview of our fields of study in biomedical ultrasonics, concentrating on bubble-cell interactions. There are three standards for the safe use of biomedical sound. When introducing bubbles, these safety guidelines may be misleading.

Domaines: Physique Médicale [physics.med-ph]

Spiros Kotopoulis, Anthony Delalande, Chantal Pichon, Michiel Postema. On cells and sound. 34th Scandinavian Symposium on Physical Acoustics, 2011, Geilo, Norway. ⟨hal-03189343⟩