A refined model of high frequency ultrasound scattering from single cells
Baddour RE
Using high frequency ultrasound it is now possible to deduce the backscatter from individual eukaryotic cells in sparse suspensions. Cellular changes, such as those induced by cell death and changes in external osmotic pressure, modulate the backscatter frequency response. Although the exact mechanism of this modulation is unknown, it is believed that the cell nucleus plays an important role in the scattering process. We propose and explore a refined theoretical model of scattering by single cells, based on the scattering solution of elastic spheres, which can be used to predict the modulation of the backscatter frequency response by changes in cell morphology. Numerical results as well as simple physical interpretations of theoretical and experimental results will be presented.