Method of cavitation-suppressed exposure of cells and explant mouse embryos to clinical real-time and pulsed Doppler ultrasound

An apparatus and procedure for well-controlled exposure of cells or explant mouse embryos to clinical real-time ultrasound are described. Cells or embryos to be exposed are suspended in media made sufficiently viscous through inclusion of methylcellulose that cavitation is suppressed but thermal effects remain negligible. During exposure, the scanning beam is precisely centered in a 2 mm x 20 mm slot in a 20 cm diameter agar disc containing the suspension. The high viscosity causes the cells to remain distributed uniformly throughout the exposure; this fact, along with precision beam alignment, ensures that exposure is well defined. Exposure data are acquired with a 0.6 mm diameter hydrophone.