Ultrasounds Have Potential to Kill Coronaviruses, Says MIT Study

According to a new study, ultrasound vibrations have the potential to damage coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 that causes Covid-19. It must be noted that the study used computer simulations and highlighted the significance of ultrasound vibrations within the frequencies used in medical diagnostic imaging. 

It must be noted that the researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States modelled the mechanical response of the coronavirus to vibrations across a wide range of ultrasound frequencies. It was found that vibrations between 25 and 100 megahertz triggered the shell of the virus as well as caused the spikes to collapse, thereby rupturing within a fraction of a millisecond.

Published in the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, the finding depicts the effect in simulations of the virus in water as well as air.The team of researchers informed that the findings hint at a treatment based on ultrasounds for coronaviruses, including the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus that is the cause of COVID-19.

Researchers hope that the study will begin a discussion across different disciples. They also noted that the preliminary results are based on restricted data related to the physical properties of the virus. Researchers informed that the ideal administration and effectiveness of the ultrasound in damaging the virus within the complexity of the human body is yet to be evaluated. 

It must be noted that in their research, the researchers introduced acoustic vibrations into the simulations and observed the way the vibrations rippled through the novel coronavirus' structure across a range of ultrasound frequencies. Vibrations of 100 megahertz, or 100 million cycles per second were used for starting. When the 100 MHz ultrasound excitations were exposed to the virus, the natural vibrations of the vibrations were initially undetectable. At lower frequencies, the virus buckled and fractured even faster in air as well as water simulated environments. 

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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.