GHz acoustics biosensing at single-cell level

GHz acoustics for biosensing at single-cell level

Master internship - Leuven | More than two weeks ago

single-cell mechanics, biosensing, GHz acoustic sensing

Mechanical and acoustic phenotyping has become an emerging field of research in biophysics and biomedical diagnostics, as cell stiffness and intracellular viscoelasticity are established biomarkers for cancer, immune activation, aging, and pathogen infection. There is rapidly growing interest in exploiting GHz acoustics for non‑contact, non‑invasive probing of single cells, detecting changes in biomolecular environments, and even accessing nanoscale properties of viruses.

Picosecond ultrasonics enables contact‑less, broad‑bandwidth sensing of elastic, mechanical, and acoustic properties of materials at the micro‑nanoscale. The technology has been widely used for thin film characterization and is now being extensively explored for non‑contact and non‑invasive probing of single cells and viruses. At KULeuven and IMEC, expertise exists in picosecond ultrasonics, integrated photonics, micro‑ and nanofabrication, and lab‑on‑chip platforms. Combining these capabilities may open new pathways for detecting weak GHz acoustic signatures in fluidic media, an essential step toward characterizing soft biological matter and understanding biochemical pathways.

However, the use of GHz ultrasonics in liquid environments remains technically challenging due to strong acoustic attenuation and complex wave interaction.

The main objective of this thesis project is to investigate the feasibility of using optical interferometry to enhance the detection of GHz acoustic waves, exploring its applications towards sensing and identification of biological cells or small particles within a fluidic environment. Specific goals include:

• In‑depth review of the current understanding of how cellular mechanical properties arise from biophysical and biochemical pathways, e.g., cytoskeletal organization, membrane tension regulation, intracellular viscoelasticity, osmotic and ionic homeostasis, mechanotransduction pathways.
• Theoretical modeling of acoustic nano‑pulse propagation, reflection, and scattering in layered systems.
• Experimental study of optical interferometric techniques (e.g., Michelson or Fabry‑Pérot configurations) for detecting ultrafast acoustic waves.
• Assessing the potential of the technique for cell/particle detection and discrimination in microfluidic applications.

Type of internship
:
Master internship

Duration
: 6-10 months

Required educational background
:
Bioscience Engineering, Biomedical engineering

University promotor
:
Pol Van Dorpe (KU Leuven)

Supervising scientist(s):
For further information or for application, please contact Liwang Liu (), Lisa Tripodi () and Victor Garcia Munoz ()

Reference code
: 2026-INT-153. Mention this reference code in your application.

Only for self‑supporting students.

• Resume
• Motivation
• Current study

Incomplete applications will not be considered.