On-chip targeted single cell sonoporation with microbubble destruction excited by surface acoustic waves

We demonstrate that a surface acoustic wave at tens of megahertz frequency is capable of inducing microbubble cluster destruction at a desired location to achieve a single cell's reparable sonoporation. By controlling the position of the microbubble cluster relative to the targeted cell precisely, the effective size of the collapsing microbubbles is measured to be less than 0.68 times the diameter of microbubble cluster. Furthermore, the sonoporation efficiency and the cell viability are 82.4% +/- 66.5% and 90% +/- 68.7%, respectively, when the targeted cell is within the effective microbubble destruction region. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.