부산대학교 도서관

Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in combating infections and tumors. However, their therapeutic application in solid tumorsis hindered by challenges, such as limited lifespan, tumor penetration, and delivery precision. Our research introduces a novel ultrasonicactuation technique to navigate NK cells more effectively in the vascular system, particularly at vessel bifurcations where targeted deliveryis most problematic. We use a hemispherical ultrasonic transducer array that generates phase-modulated traveling waves, focusingon an ultrasound beam to steer NK cells using blood-flow dynamics and a focused acoustic field. This method enables the preciseobstruction of non-target vessels and efficiently directs NK cells toward the tumor site. The simulation results offer insights into thebehavior of NK cells under various conditions of cell size, radiation pressure, and fluid velocity, which inform the optimization of theirtrajectories and increase targeting efficiency. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of this ultrasonic approach for enhancingNK cell targeting, suggesting a potential leap forward in solid tumor immunotherapy. This study represents a significant step in NKcell therapeutic strategies, offering a viable solution to the existing limitations and promising enhancement of the efficacy of cancer treatments.