On the lab table, a diamond floats silently in the air. There are no strings, supports, or tricks: just a field of invisible acoustic waves that keeps it suspended against the force of gravity.
For Dr. Luke Cox ofUniversity of Bristol, this moment represented much more than a successful experiment: it was the spark of a disruptive idea. If sound waves can sustain a diamond, why couldn't they manipulate something infinitely smaller (and precious to medical science)? The cells, those tiny building blocks of life, could “dance” following a sonic choreography imperceptible to the human ear, but powerful enough to replace much of the bulky machinery that today populates biomedical laboratories.
The invisible dance of cells
Creating new drugs requires thousands of hours of testing on cells in Petri dishes before they are ready for patients. Even in 2025, this process is mostly manual, making it expensive and sometimes unreliable, slowing the development of life-saving medicines.
While tasks such as pipetting and liquid handling have been automated, cell cultivation is much more complex. It requires the coordinated use of multiple devices such as centrifuges and incubators. The more components you add, the more complex and expensive the system becomes, making it unaffordable for many labs as the equipment may not pay for itself before it wears out.
Engineers from a spin-off of theUniversity of Bristol have unveiled an acoustic wave technology that moves cells without physical contact. This innovation (illustrated in this study) enables vital laboratory tasks traditionally requiring bulky equipment to be performed using a compact benchtop device, simplifying processes and opening up new possibilities for cell manipulation and research.
A brilliant intuition
Dr. Luke Cox began with an acoustic levitation experiment, successfully suspending a diamond in mid-air against gravity. Witnessing this “magical” phenomenon, he realized its potential for manipulating small, delicate objects, inspiring him to explore the possibility of moving cells using the same technology.
Eventually, he saw its wider application in replacing many common biomedical laboratory processes, leading to the creation of Impulsonics.
This cutting-edge technology uses acoustic waves to move cells, eliminating the need for bulky laboratory equipment.
Luke and his team have advanced the technology to perform complex tasks such as expanding cell populations. Dr. Cox highlighted its importance in accelerating drug screening processes, paving the way for the discovery of treatments for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.
Acoustic waves, miniaturization and precision
Professor Bruce Drinkwater, an academic at the University of Bristol and co-founder of Impulsonics, explained:
“The device is small, with a footprint half the size of a standard lab bench, where previous technologies took up entire rooms. Crucially, it also helps produce high-quality data quickly, which is what is needed in biomedical research.”
This invention has many potential applications in biotechnology: by simplifying cell manipulation, it could speed up drug development and open the door to personalized medicine. Doctors could one day use it to test various treatments on a patient's cells, identifying the most effective option before administering it.
I share Dr. Cox's impatience:
“I look forward to expanding this unique technology platform to accelerate development in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries wherever cells are grown.”
In short: perhaps, in a not too distant future, we will look back with a smile on the era when laboratories were filled with cumbersome machinery and manual processes, just as today we look with amazement at the first cars or the first computers.
