Ultrasound May Successfully Battle Coronaviruses

A new study by researchers in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering published by the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids in its May 2021 edition suggests that coronaviruses may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations within the frequencies used in medical diagnostic imaging.

The MIT team modeled the coronavirus's mechanical response to vibrations across a range of ultrasound frequencies through computer simulations. They found that vibrations between 25 and 100 megahertz triggered the virus's shell and spikes to collapse and start to rupture within a fraction of a millisecond. This effect was seen in simulations of the virus in the air and water, reported by MIT News on March 16, 2021.

This study's results are considered preliminary and based on limited data regarding the virus's physical properties.

Nevertheless, the researchers say their findings are the first hint at a possible ultrasound-based treatment for coronaviruses, including the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus.

How exactly ultrasound could be administered and how effective it would be in damaging the virus within the complexity of the human body are among the major questions scientists will have to tackle going forward.

As his team works to improve the existing simulations with new experimental data, the researchers plan to zero in on the specific mechanics of the novel, rapidly mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus. “We looked at the general coronavirus family and now are looking specifically at the morphology and geometry of Covid-19. The potential is something that could be great in the current critical situation, stated these MIT researchers.