Ultrasound scans like those used to track the growth of a foetus can destroy coronavirus cells by forcing their surface to split apart and implode, new research suggests. MIT researchers conducted a mathematical analysis based on the physical properties of generic coronavirus cells. It revealed medical ultrasound scans may be able to damage the virus’s shell and spikes, leading to collapse and rupture.
Ultrasounds are already used as a treatment for kidney stones but the MIT team are calling for further research on its viability as a treatment for Covid-19.
Computer simulations created a model of a general coronavirus, the family which includes Covid-19, flu and HIV.
They found that between 25 and 100 MHz the cell surface of the coronavirus splits apart and collapses in less than one millisecond. At 100MHz the computer model revealed the shell of the virus collapses because it resonates with the membrane’s natural vibration frequency. This is a phenomenon which occurs when a specific wave frequency aligns with the inherent properties of a material, continuously amplifying the vibrations.
The quirk of physics is the same mechanism which allows opera singers to smash wine glasses and is also a problem for bridge builders. If the frequency of wind or footsteps aligns with the natural properties of the bridge, it wobbles out of control.
This is exactly what happened in the year 2000 when the Millenium Bridge in London opened and the footsteps of people caused it to sway significantly.
This occured at two MHz, but for the virus, the 100MHz waves caused resonation. Within a fraction of a second the surface of the model virus distorted and buckled.
At 25 and 50MHz, the process was sped up even further.
‘These frequencies and intensities are within the range that is safely used for medical imaging,’ says Tomasz Wierzbicki, professor of applied mechanics at MIT and lead author of the study.
The scientists say the results are based on patchy data of the virus’ physical properties and should be interpreted with caution.
However, it opens up the possibility that coronavirus infections, including Covid-19, could one day be treated by ultrasounds.
Several issues surround the feasibility of such a therapeutic technique….
Image Credit: ITN
Post by Amanda Scott, NA CEO. Follow her on twitter @tantriclens
Thanks to Heinz V. Hoenen. Follow him on twitter: @HeinzVHoenen
News
Scientists Successfully Built Tiny Robots That Can Reproduce on Their Own
'This is something that's never been observed before'. A team of scientists from the University of Vermont (UVM) has discovered a new form of reproduction in computer-designed organisms (CDOs) that they had created earlier. [...]
Modeling Wing Nanostructures to Improve Solar Technologies
Harnessing renewable energy has been a prominent strategy to promote environmental conservation. Butterfly wings exhibit many unique properties, such as their striking wing coloration, light absorption mechanisms, and responses to various stimuli. For many [...]
Nasal Alzheimer’s Vaccine To Start Human Trials for the First Time
Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston Massachusetts will soon begin Phase I trials of a nasal vaccine designed to prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a press release said. This is the [...]
Innovations in Nanocomposites: A Future Outlook
Nanocomposites are a class of nanomaterials, where one or more nanostructured materials (organic/inorganic) are incorporated in metal, polymer, or ceramic to obtain a new material with many unique properties. Nanocomposites are applied in various [...]
Pfizer – updated version of vaccine ‘ready in 100 days’ if the new Omicron resistant to its current vaccine
Pfizer said it will be able to manufacture and distribute an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days if the new variant Omicron is found to be resistant to its current vaccine. [...]
B.1.1.529 – What do we know about the new ‘worst ever’ Covid variant?
UK places South Africa on red travel list over B.1.1.529 variant picked up by scientists in country. What is the new variant and why is it a concern? Scientists have detected a new Covid-19 [...]
Scientists warn of new Covid variant with high number of mutations
The B.1.1.529 variant was first spotted in Botswana and six cases have been found in South Africa. Scientists have said a new Covid variant that carries an “extremely high number” of mutations may drive [...]
New microscope uses photonics to gain insights into superbugs
Scientists are building a new super-resolution microscope that uses laser light to study the inner workings and behaviours of superbugs to gain new insights into how they cause disease. The microscope will allow scientists [...]
Researchers make ultra-sensitive cancer detector from 2D materials
Cells can produce unique electrical signals. These signals can be linked to various cancers, such as the breast, lung, liver, brain, pancreas and prostate cancers, meaning that they can be used as indicators for [...]
New sensor detects ever smaller nanoparticles
Conventional microscopes produce enlarged images of small structures or objects with the help of light. Nanoparticles, however, are so small that they hardly absorb or scatter light and, hence, remain invisible. Optical resonators increase [...]
How Will the COVID Pills Change the Pandemic?
From a new article By Dhruv Khullar in the New York Times: New antiviral drugs are startlingly effective against the coronavirus—if they’re taken in time. n March, 2020, researchers at Emory University published a paper about a [...]
Is Delta the last Covid ‘super variant’?
Every week, a group of epidemiologists across the north-east of the United States joins a Zoom call entirely devoted to discussing the latest hints of new Covid-19 variants being reported around the world. “It’s like the [...]
Cancer cells use ‘tiny tentacles’ to suppress the immune system
To grow and spread, cancer cells must evade the immune system. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and MIT used the power of nanotechnology to discover a new way that cancer can disarm its [...]
Cancer cells use ‘tiny tentacles’ to suppress the immune system
To grow and spread, cancer cells must evade the immune system. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and MIT used the power of nanotechnology to discover a new way that cancer can disarm its [...]
3D printing approaches atomic dimensions
A new 3D printing technology makes the production of complex metallic objects at the nanoscale possible. A team of chemists led by a scientist from the University of Oldenburg has developed an electrochemical technique [...]
Nanoscale ‘computer’ controls function of protein, influences cell behavior
The creation of nanoscale computers for use in precision health care has long been a dream of many scientists and health care providers. Now, for the first time, researchers at Penn State have produced [...]
