Ultrasound Waves at Medical Imaging Frequencies Can Damage SARS-CoV-2 and Could Treat COVID-19

Simulations have shown that ultrasound waves at medical imaging frequencies can cause the shell and spikes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to collapse and rupture, suggesting the possibility of ultrasound-based treatment for COVID-19.

A new study by researchers in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (Cambridge, MA, USA) suggests that coronaviruses may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations, within the frequencies used in medical diagnostic imaging. Through computer simulations, the team has modeled the virus’ mechanical response to vibrations across a range of ultrasound frequencies. They 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 was seen in simulations of the virus in air and in water.

The results are preliminary, and based on limited data regarding the virus’ physical properties. Nevertheless, the researchers say their findings are a 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.

To refine and validate their simulations, the team is working with microbiologists in Spain, who are using atomic force microscopy to observe the effects of ultrasound vibrations on a type of coronavirus found exclusively in pigs. If ultrasound can be experimentally proven to damage coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and if this damage can be shown to have a therapeutic effect, the team envisions that ultrasound, which is already used to break up kidney stones and to release drugs via liposomes, might be harnessed to treat and possibly prevent coronavirus infection. The researchers also envision that miniature ultrasound transducers, fitted into phones and other portable devices, might be capable of shielding people from the virus.

“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,” said Tomasz Wierzbicki, professor of applied mechanics at MIT. “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.”

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)