# US 9,038,467 B2 · Particle analysis in an acoustic cytometer

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- Number: US 9,038,467 B2
- Document ID: US9038467B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/571,629
- Filed: 2012-08-10
- Published: 2012-12-06
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2007-12-19
- Assignees: Los Alamos National Security, LLC
- Applicants: Gregory Kaduchak; Michael D Ward
- Inventors: Gregory Kaduchak; Michael D Ward
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9038467B2

## CPC

- G01N 15/1404: Handling flow, e.g. hydrodynamic focusing
- B01L 3/502761: {specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules}
- G01N 29/14: using acoustic emission techniques {(echo of particles G01N29/046; measuring mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in solids in general G01H1/00)}
- G01N 33/4833: {of solid biological material, e.g. tissue samples, cell cultures (tissue in vivo A61B5/00; cell suspensions G01N33/48735)}
- G01N 33/48735: {Investigating suspensions of cells, e.g. measuring microbe concentration (by chemical means C12Q1/04; colony counters C12M1/34; concentration of particle suspensions in general G01N15/06)}
- B01L 2200/0636: Focussing flows, e.g. to laminate flows
- B01L 2200/0652: Sorting or classification of particles or molecules
- B01L 2300/0838: Capillaries
- B01L 2300/0864: comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
- B01L 2400/0439: ultrasonic vibrations, vibrating piezo elements
- B01L 2400/0487: fluid pressure, pneumatics
- G01N 15/1433: using image recognition
- G01N 15/1459: {the analysis being performed on a sample stream}
- G01N 15/149: specially adapted for sorting particles, e.g. by their size or optical properties
- G01N 2001/4094: {using ultrasound}
- G01N 2015/1028: {Sorting particles}
- G01N 2015/1415: {Control of particle position}
- G01N 2015/142: {Acoustic or ultrasonic focussing}
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE

## Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for acoustically manipulating one or more particles.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus that acoustically orients a particle in a flow stream comprising:
a capillary having a longitudinal axis, the capillary being configured for flowing a fluid containing a particle having a major axis;
an acoustic signal producing transducer configured to acoustically orient the major axis of the particle coincident with the capillary's longitudinal axis; and
a particle analyzer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises a flow cytometer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a particle sorter.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said sorter separates the particle based on size prior to analysis.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said acoustic signal producing transducer aligns the particle in a polar direction about a flow axis.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said acoustic signal producing transducer aligns the particle in a direction of flow.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a particle fractionator.