Theoretical evaluation of the acoustic field in an ultrasonic bioreactor

Abstract

Ultrasound-assisted bioreactors that provide mechanical conditioning to cells have broad applicability in tissue engineering, but biological experiments with ultrasound are very sensitive to environmental conditions. A mathematical model was developed to complement experimental measurements, as well as to describe ultrasonic fields existing in regions where measurements are impossible, specifically, within microporous tissue engineering scaffolds. The model uniquely combines Biot theory to predict the ultrasonic field in the scaffold with an electromechanical transducer model to couple the mechanical stimulation experienced by cells to the external electrical input. In the specific example examined here, cells immobilized on scaffolds are subjected to different forms of ultrasonic stimulation due to the formation of standing wave fields and vertical high-pressure bands. The model confirms the sensitivity of the supplied acoustic power to the liquid level in sonobioreactors and identifies the input electrical impedance as a method of detecting resonance effects.

Keywords: Bio-acoustics; Biot theory; Finite volume method; Mechanotransduction; Spectral method; Tissue engineering; Ultrasound.