Ultrasound has potential to damage coronaviruses, reveals MIT study
- Scientists found that vibrations between 25 and 100 megahertz triggered the virus’ shell and spikes to collapse and start to rupture within a fraction of a millisecond
- The effect has ben seen in simulations of the virus in air and in water
(Karachi) Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations within the frequencies used in medical diagnostic imaging, a new study carried out by researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States claimed.
As per details, the researchers monitored the mechanical response to vibrations across ultrasound frequencies with the help of computer simulations. During the study, the scientists found that vibrations between 25 and 100 megahertz triggered the virus’ shell and spikes to collapse and start to rupture within a fraction of a millisecond. This effect has been seen in simulations of the virus in air and in water.
However, they said that the results obtained are preliminary and based on limited data.
Professor of Applied Mechanics at MIT Tomasz Wierzbicki said, “We’ve proven that under ultrasound excitation the coronavirus shell and spikes will vibrate, and the amplitude of that vibration will be very large, producing strains that could break certain parts of the virus, doing visible damage to the outer shell and possibly invisible damage to the RNA inside.”
He added, “The hope is that our paper will initiate a discussion across various disciplines.”
The team’s results appear online in the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids.
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