Ultrasound standing wave fields control the spatial distribution of cells and protein in three‐dimensional engineered tissue.

Abstract

The application of ultrasound standing wave fields (USWFs) to cell suspensions results in the radiation force‐mediated movement of cells to areas of the field separated by half‐wavelength intervals. In this study, USWF‐induced cellular arrangements were maintained after removal of the sound field by polymerization of a collagen type‐I solution around the organized cell bands. Using a water tank setup, cell suspensions of varying concentrations were exposed to a 1‐MHz, continuous wave USWF for 15 min, during which time collagen polymerization occurred. An acoustic pressure amplitude of 0.2 MPa was used to achieve the USWF‐induced cell organization. Compared to sham samples with a random cell distribution, cell viability was not adversely affected by USWF exposure. The organization of cells into a banded pattern within the collagen gels resulted in a significant two‐fold increase in cell‐mediated gel contraction, suggesting that USWF‐induced cell organization leads to differential extracellular matrix remod...