Simulations For Investigating the Contrast Mechanism of Biological Cells with High Frequency Scanning Acoustic Microscop

Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM) is one of the most powerful techniques for nondestructive evaluation and it is a promising tool for characterizing the elastic properties of biological tissues/cells. Exploring a single cell is important since there is a connection between single cell biomechanics and human cancer. Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) has been accepted and extensively utilized for acoustical cellular and tissue imaging including measurements of the mechanical and elastic properties of biological specimens. SAM provides superb advantages in that it is non-invasive, can measure mechanical properties of biological cells or tissues, and fixation/chemical staining is not necessary. The first objective of this research is to develop a program for simulating the images and contrast mechanism obtained by high-frequency SAM. Computer simulation algorithms based on MatlabRTM were built for simulating the images and contrast mechanisms. The mechanical properties of HeLa and MCF-7 cells were computed from the measurement data of the output signal amplitude as a function of distance from the focal planes of the acoustics lens which is known as V(z) . Algorithms for simulating V(z) responses involved the calculation of the reflectance function and were created based on ray theory and wave theory. The second objective is to design transducer arrays for SAM. Theoretical simulations based on Field II(c) programs of the high frequency ultrasound array designs were performed to enhance image resolution and volumetric imaging capabilities. Phased array beam forming and dynamic apodization and focusing were employed in the simulations. The new transducer array design will be state-of-the-art in improving the performance of SAM by electronic scanning and potentially providing a 4-D image of the specimen.