Scientists at Kaunas University of Technology have found that low-frequency ultrasound waves can separate red blood cells and reduce blood viscosity — a discovery that could eventually support treatment for cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and even cancer.
For most people, ultrasound means one thing: a diagnostic scan. But a team of researchers in Lithuania is rethinking what those sound waves can do inside the human body. Scientists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) have published findings suggesting that low-frequency ultrasound can directly alter how red blood cells behave — potentially laying the groundwork for a new class of non-invasive medical therapies.
The study, published in the journal Sensors, found that different ultrasound frequencies produce opposite effects on red blood cells, known as erythrocytes. High-frequency ultrasound causes the cells to cluster together, while low-frequency ultrasound can break those clusters apart — a distinction with major implications for how blood flows through the body.
Why Clustering Matters
Red blood cells naturally form reversible clusters called aggregates. When they do, blood becomes thicker and less efficient at transporting oxygen. Lead author Vytautas Ostaševičius, a professor and director of the KTU Institute of Mechatronics, described what happens when these clusters form under high-frequency ultrasound conditions.
“When erythrocytes cluster together under the influence of high-frequency ultrasound, blood viscosity increases, blood pressure and pulse may rise, and oxygen exchange becomes less efficient,” he said in a news release.
The research team found that high-frequency ultrasound generates standing acoustic waves, which push erythrocytes toward low-pressure areas and encourage aggregation. Low-frequency ultrasound, by contrast, produces travelling acoustic waves that create shear forces strong enough to pull those clusters apart into individual cells. When separated, each cell’s full surface area becomes available for oxygen exchange — making circulation more efficient.
“To our knowledge, this effect has not previously been demonstrated,” Ostaševičius added.
Born From a Pandemic-Era Question
The research idea has its roots in the early days of COVID-19, when clinicians were scrambling to find ways to help patients with severe respiratory complications — fast, and without relying solely on medication.
“At the time, there was an urgent need for therapies that could help patients quickly and without medication. We became interested in whether ultrasound could intensify the interaction between haemoglobin and oxygen in the lungs,” added Ostaševičius.
To test their theories, the team divided patient blood into hundreds of samples and exposed them to ultrasound at varying intensities and frequencies. They also used digital twin modeling to design a new low-frequency ultrasound transducer capable of sending acoustic signals roughly four times deeper into biological tissue than conventional devices. That technology has since received international patent protection.
Potential Reach: Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and Cancer
The researchers are careful to note that the technology is still in early experimental stages, but they believe the implications are broad. One promising area is cancer treatment, where low oxygen levels inside tumors are a persistent obstacle to effective therapy.
“Low oxygen levels in tumours remain one of the major challenges in cancer therapy. If oxygen delivery to tissues can be improved locally, it may help increase the effectiveness of certain treatments,” Ostaševičius added.
The team is also exploring the potential to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier — a tightly regulated boundary that limits which substances can enter brain tissue — as a future strategy for improving targeted drug delivery in Alzheimer’s disease treatment.
For patients with diabetes, the focus shifts to wound care. Diabetic foot ulcers are notoriously slow to heal because impaired circulation starves tissue of oxygen and nutrients.
“Using ultrasound, it may be possible to improve blood flow in affected tissues,” added Ostaševičius.
Additional possibilities being considered include supportive therapies for cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, as well as enhanced targeted drug delivery systems.
Why It Matters for Students and Young Adults
The prospect of non-invasive, drug-free therapies is particularly relevant to a generation that increasingly values preventive care and is likely to live long enough to face chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes. While clinical applications remain years away, early-stage research like this shapes the treatment landscape students will eventually navigate as patients — and potentially as healthcare professionals or biomedical engineers.
The study also underscores how a single technology, already embedded in hospitals worldwide, can be reimagined with a different scientific question in mind.
“Our work shows that ultrasound can mechanically influence blood properties. This opens possibilities for future non-invasive therapies that may one day complement existing medication-based and surgical treatments,” Ostaševičius added.
Source: Kaunas University of Technology