“Surround sound for biological cells,” is how Luke Cox describes the ultrasound technology that Impulsonics has developed to solve the “unsticking problem” in biomedical science. Cox is co-founder and chief executive of UK-based Impulsonics, which spun-out of the University of Bristol in 2023.

He is also my guest in this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast. He explains why living cells grown in a petri dish tend to stick together, and why this can be a barrier to scientific research and the development of new medical treatments.

The system uses an array of ultrasound transducers to focus sound so that it frees-up and manipulates cells in a way that does not alter their biological properties. This is unlike chemical unsticking processes, which can change cells and impact research results.

We also chat about Cox’s career arc from PhD student to chief executive and explore opportunities for physicists in the biomedical industry.

The following articles are mentioned in the podcast: