SonoRotor: An Acoustic Rotational Robotic Platform for Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae

Rotation manipulation is an essential component of biological microscopy and can become integral to multidisciplinary research and applications. On-chip rotation of microobjects with spherical shapes like biological cells and model organisms has been demonstrated based on advanced microfluidic techniques. To date, however, biocompatible, easy-to-fabricate, easy-to-operate, and controlled rotation of small animal models with slender bodies remains a challenge. Here, we present SonoRotor, a miniaturized acoustic rotation platform for animal models using a single elongated acoustically activated air bubble. In the presence of an acoustic field, the trapped elongated air bubble oscillates and induces a polarized vortex in the surrounding liquid. Zebrafish embryos (spherical) and larvae (slender), typically larger than hundreds of micrometers, become trapped near the oscillating bubble and undergo a controllable, high-speed, and stable out-of-plane rotation. By controlling the voltage applied to our device, we can adjust the rotation speed of the zebrafish. The developed acoustic rotation manipulation platform is simple, cost-effective, allows multiview imaging, high-throughput operation, and can be combined with downstream analytical techniques to perform a variety of biological micromanipulation on small animal models.

Automated summary

This study presents a miniaturized acoustic rotation platform, called SonoRotor, for animal models. By controlling the voltage applied to the device, the rotation speed of zebrafish can be adjusted. The developed acoustic rotation manipulation platform is simple, cost-effective, allows multiview imaging, high-throughput operation, and can be combined with downstream analytical techniques to perform various biological micromanipulations on small animal models.