Feng Guo is director of the Intelligent Biomedical Systems Lab at IU Bloomington. Photo by Chris Meyer, Indiana University
Researchers at the Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering are advancing biomedical research by applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to an innovative lab-on-a-chip technology known as acoustofluidics, or the manipulation of cells in liquid using sound waves.
Adding AI to this technology could help scientists identify new treatments faster and more effectively. Led by Feng Guo, an IU associate professor of intelligent systems engineering, this research was recently awarded $1.5 million from the National Institutes of Health.
"The goal of our lab is to leverage artificial intelligence and organoid computing - what we call biological intelligence - to further advance or innovate biomedical systems to address the challenges for medicine, healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry," said Guo, who is also director of the Intelligent Biomedical Systems Lab at the IU Luddy School.
Feng Guo, right, observes an acoustofluidic chip under a microscope in the lab as Young Yang looks on. Yang is a visiting postdoctorial research fellow in Guo's lab. Photo by Chris Meyer, Indiana University
Acoustofluidics uses the principles of fluid dynamics to manipulate biological materials, such as chemical compounds or cells, in solution with sound. The process - also referred to as "acoustic tweezers" - offers significant advantages to other methods of manipulating these materials in the lab, said Guo, who studied under a pioneer in the field before joining IU.
Unlike traditional liquid-handling methods, such as pipetting, acoustofluidics is completely contactless, reducing the risks of cross-contamination that can easily ruin experiments involving biological materials.
The method is harmless to living cells and does not require the use of chemical tags, such as fluorescent dyes or radioactive labels, Guo said.
"Acoustofluidics is completely contactless, label-free and highly biocompatible," he said, adding that the technology has the potential to improve a wide range of medical research areas, such as infectious disease, cancer research and regenerative medicine.
The power of acoustofluidics can be seen in action under a microscope. Guo's research has produced video showing the chaotic swirl of cells in solution transforming into precisely controlled actions using only sound waves, as microscopic particles spin and march in rigid formation.
The introduction of AI into this system raises the possibility of real-time monitoring and adaptive control of complex biomedical experiments, Guo said. AI can react much faster than human scientists, who need to pause their experiments after each change in the system under analysis to determine how to proceed.
By contrast, AI can react almost instantaneously. For example, Guo said that applying AI to acoustofluidics could allow faster protein analysis or screening of potential drug compounds - both of which are needed in personalized medicine, where drugs and dosages are tailored to a patient's specific biology.
"AI can help you generate the best protocol," Guo said. "It can provide dynamic feedback and dynamic monitoring to control fast, quick chemical reactions."
A dropper is used to apply liquid to an acoustofluidic chip, which uses sound to guide molecules in solution through microfluidic pathways. Photo by Chris Meyer, Indiana University
Applications of the technology that Guo has disclosed to the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office include a method of rapidly analyzing the effect of drug compounds on immune cell interactions in tumors; the use of acoustic fields to stimulate tissues or organs, such as neurons or muscles; and even using acoustic therapeutic patches to deliver precise drug dosages through the skin. He also holds a broader U.S. patent on the technology.
Under the new NIH grant, Guo expects to recruit a new postdoctoral researcher and several undergraduate students to the Intelligent Biomedical Systems Lab, in addition to the nine graduate, undergraduate and postdoctoral students who currently comprise the group. Guo is also a co-lead on a $16.5 million Alzheimer's research grant with the IU School of Medicine as well as a $2 million NSF award supporting pioneering research on brain organoid computing technology. Both projects also use intelligent acoustofluidics and organ chip systems.
Guo's research has already attracted the interest of several healthcare startups, including one interested in potentially licensing some of the technology.
"We really want to push for that translational impact - to find the practical challenge for industry or clinical translation medicine and leverage our efforts into the workforce," he said, adding that his lab's goal isn't simply to advance acoustofluidics but also to pursue applications of the technology with the greatest potential impact in the real world.
"I do work to promote medicine, biology and chemistry, but I'm trained in physics and engineering," he said. "What I aways say is scientists want to understand the world, but engineers want to change it."
