This letter presents a method which employs surface acoustic wave induced acoustic streaming to differentially peel treated red blood cells (RBCs) off a substrate based on their adhesive properties and separate populations of pathological cells from normal ones. We demonstrate the principle of operation by comparing the applied power and time required to overcome the adhesion displayed by healthy, glutaraldehyde-treated or malaria-infected human RBCs. Our experiments indicate that the method can be used to differentiate between various cell populations contained in a 9 μl droplet within 30 s, suggesting potential for rapid diagnostics.

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Cell lysis is a key sample preparation stage in many biomedical studies as DNA extraction and classification require the use of the nucleic acid and proteins released upon decomposition of a cell membrane. We present an effective method of lysing cells suspended in a microliter droplet placed on a super-hydrophobic surface. When a bubble, injected into the sessile droplet, subsequently ruptures, a rapidly moving fluid jet is formed. In this work, cells that are transported within this fluid jet are captured on a separate hydrophilic substrate and are shown to have been lysed.

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