Oubino: Acoustic Tweezers Technology Ushering in a New Era of Label-Free Bioparticle Manipulation

Bioparticle manipulation is a crucial tool for studying cellular structures. As the biomedical market continues to expand, there is growing demand within the industry for efficient, accurate, and cost-effective bioparticle manipulation technologies.

However, significant challenges remain in the manipulation of biological particles. For instance, circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection based on immunological and microfluidic technologies lacks precision and exhibits a high false-negative rate; exosome isolation via ultra-high-speed centrifugation suffers from low purity and efficiency; flow cytometry requires labeling, causes substantial cellular damage, and is incapable of sorting cells based on their distinct mechanical and physical properties; additionally, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) face pain points such as slow directed differentiation and poor controllability.

The advent of acoustic tweezer technology has brought new hope for addressing these challenges.

Acoustic Tweezers Technology, also known as Acoustofluidics, is a versatile manipulation tool in the field of life sciences. It enables operations such as displacement, rotation, separation, enrichment, washing, sorting, lysis, fusion, and phenotypic detection on exosomes, viruses, cells, sperm, bacteria, microorganisms, parasites, nematodes, zebrafish, organoids, and droplets.

Acoustic tweezers technology enables non-contact manipulation without the need for labeling, expensive equipment, or complex experimental setups, and its safety for biological organisms has been proven.It holds promise for resolving numerous bottlenecks in drug development and precision diagnostics.

VCBeat has noted that numerous medical companies worldwide are deploying acoustic tweezer technology, with several international giants among them. In 2019, Merck acquired the U.S.-based acoustic tweezer technology company FloDesign Sonics; the Swedish company Acousort is listed on the NASDAQ; and the U.S. company Applied Cells has completed its Series A financing round.Beckman has also partnered with the Chinese company Obino to jointly develop acoustic flow cytometers.

Obinuo is an early pioneer in acoustic tweezer technology in China. Leveraging its proprietary acoustic tweezer technology, the company is developing an integrated biological particle manipulation instrument to meet the needs of pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and academic research institutions for sorting, enriching, and isolating cell samples such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and exosomes, thereby achieving precise, efficient, and cost-effective cell manipulation. Currently,Oubino has entered into collaborations with Beckman, Ruijian Pharma, and others.

Professor Yang Xin, the founder of Oubino, has nearly two decades of R&D experience in medical ultrasound, acoustic tweezers technology, and biomedical engineering. In 2008, Professor Yang established Beijing Jiaoke Instrument Technology Co., Ltd., accumulating extensive experience in corporate operations, instrument development, and market expansion.

After leaving Beijing Jiaoke Instrument, Professor Yang Xin chose to pursue further studies in the United Kingdom. It was there that he was first introduced to acoustic tweezers technology. He subsequently earned a master’s degree from Queen Mary University of London and a Ph.D. in Medical Ultrasound from Cardiff University, and completed his postdoctoral research in Medical Ultrasound at the University of Edinburgh.

During his tenure in the United Kingdom, Professor Xin Yang served as a doctoral supervisor and Head of the Acoustic Tweezers Laboratory at Cardiff University. He led and participated in multiple research projects related to medical ultrasound and acoustic tweezers technology, securing cumulative research funding of £1.3 million, and published numerous papers in prestigious academic journals.

Professor Yang Xin explained, “Acoustic tweezers technology, which leverages the principles of ultrasound and fluid dynamics, is an innovative interdisciplinary technology based on microfluidic platforms.”Acoustic tweezers technology offers advantages such as non-contact, label-free, and non-destructive manipulation of biological particles, enabling efficient, precise, and cost-effective handling.Moreover, corresponding acoustic tweezers technology platforms and tools can be rapidly designed according to the specific application scenarios of bioparticle manipulation.

As an ideal tool for biomedical applications, acoustic tweezers technology is widely used and holds significant potential in specialized scenarios such as circulating tumor cell (CTC) sorting, cell washing, flow cytometry, exosome enrichment and isolation, and directed differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

In 2015, Professor Yang Xin observed the initial applications of acoustic tweezers technology in the biomedical field, where it helped resolve many longstanding bottlenecks. By 2018, the development of acoustic tweezers technology in biomedicine had further matured. In 2019, Professor Yang Xin founded Obino, a company dedicated to the research and development of acoustic tweezers technology and bio-manipulation platforms. “We hope to leverage Obino’s capabilities to accelerate the application of acoustic tweezers technology in biomedicine and address practical challenges in the field.”

It is understood that, compared with the acoustic tweezers technology developed by companies such as FloDesign Sonics and AcouTrap, the acoustic tweezers technology developed by Obinno adopts a new generation of surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology.Compared to the previous generation of piezoelectric crystal acoustic bulk wave technology, the new generation of surface acoustic wave technology offers higher throughput and manipulation precision, more stable operational performance, and broader application scenarios, enabling the manipulation of biological particles at scales ranging from nanometers to millimeters.

Leveraging acoustic tweezer technology, Obino has developed a biological particle manipulator that innovatively enables fully automated isolation of CTCs, exosomes, and other cellular samples. This integrated platform meets the needs of hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and academic research institutions for cell sorting, enrichment, and isolation, as well as standardized preparation of cellular biological samples, thereby facilitating high-efficiency, low-cost cell manipulation across diverse application scenarios.

Professor Yang Xin stated, “Although acoustic tweezer technology has broad application scenarios, it is still in its early stages; therefore, identifying the right direction for practical implementation is crucial.” Oubino initially targeted the flow cytometry detection scenario and is currently developing an acoustic flow cytometer. “The application scenarios for flow cytometers are clear and extensive, and this market is experiencing rapid growth; therefore,Obinuo has positioned flow cytometry as a key strategic focus, aiming to secure the technological high ground for next-generation flow cytometers.”

Traditional flow cytometers require prior labeling of cells, and the selection of corresponding markers depends on knowledge of the target antigens. In contrast, Obino’s developedAcoustic flow cytometry does not require cell labeling, enabling better detection of cell subtypes and rare cells with distinct mechanical properties, and providing a more precise solution for cell manipulation.Meets customer needs for phenotypic analysis of the mechanical properties of different cells.

Professor Yang Xin revealed, “It is expected that the regulatory submission for acoustic flow cytometers will be initiated in China by late 2021 or early 2022.”

Furthermore, Obino can rapidly develop corresponding modules to meet the needs of different application scenarios. In the future, the company will leverage acoustic tweezers technology as its core platform to accelerate expansion into a broader range of biomedical applications.Beyond flow cytometry applications, Oubino’s acoustic tweezer technology also demonstrates significant advantages in scenarios such as tumor detection and regenerative medicine.

In the context of tumor detection, current products based on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and exosomes suffer from poor performance due to low isolation efficiency and accuracy, as well as high false-negative rates, resulting in very low market penetration.Obinno’s acoustic tweezer technology has achieved a tumor cell separation rate of over 90%, and its exosome isolation offers the advantages of high yield and high purity.Effectively addresses industry pain points and promotes the development of the tumor detection sector.

In the field of regenerative medicine, Obino’s acoustic tweezer technology facilitates stem cell differentiation by generating multidimensional stimuli through acoustic fields. This approach shortens the differentiation timeline and directs cell fate, thereby addressing the current limitations of prolonged production cycles and poor controllability in stem cell manufacturing.

Leveraging its leading advantages in acoustic tweezer technology, Obino has already partnered withRuijian PharmaSigned a strategic cooperation agreement on accelerating iPSC differentiation withBeckmanSigned a collaborative development agreement for acoustic flow cytometers withMultiple Grade A Tertiary HospitalsSigned a collaborative R&D agreement for clinical testing of liquid biopsy, and simultaneously withCambridge University Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, Duke University Tumor Immunotherapy Laboratory, University of Chicago Regenerative Medicine Laboratoryand established strategic partnerships with multiple laboratories.

Professor Yang Xin stated, “Precision medicine and personalized medical solutions are undoubtedly the future direction of development in the biomedical field. Precision medicine is a multidisciplinary cross-field encompassing biology, clinical medicine, computer science, and more, requiring the coordinated development of various technologies. Biological particles are the primary subject of research into the foundational technologies of precision medicine, and the advancement of biological particle manipulation technology is closely linked to progress in precision medicine. Although acoustic tweezer technology is still in its early stages globally and has not yet achieved large-scale practical application, we believe that as the technology matures and is gradually implemented in scenarios such as early tumor screening, new drug development, and tumor diagnosis, the market potential for acoustic tweezer technology will exceed RMB 100 billion.”