Miniaturized cell lysis device using spherically focused ultrasound

A prototype of a miniaturized cell lysis devi ce developed using a corcave spherical transducer is capable of lysing bacter ia without added chemical denaturants, enzymes or microparticles and is capable of efficiently lysing yeast without any mechanical or enzymatic pretreatment. The device is designed for miniature bio-analysis systems where cell lysing is needed to obtain intracellular materials for further analysis such as DNA identification. The device lysis efficiency was evaluated using viable cell counts and microscopy. Additionally, the device efficiency was compared with that of traditional chemical cell lysis methods using standard molecular biological techniques such as agarose gels and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy. The results indicate that efficient bacteria and cell disruption can be achieved through a low-voltage-driven and spherically focused high-frequency ultrasonic device