Ultrasound Test

The structure of SARS-CoV-2 has now become this familiar figure that consists of a shell with thorny-looking receptors. These protein receptors attach themselves to the healthy cells of the body, undergo some changes with regards to the structure, and then enable the viral RNA to enter the body. The viral cells then duplicate themselves to produce more viruses.

According to the latest study by the mechanical engineering department of MIT, it was discovered that the SARS-CoV-2 can be damaged by the vibrations of ultrasound test at a predetermined frequency used specifically for medical imaging. 

After experimenting with several different frequencies through computer simulation, it was experienced that the shell of the virus would damage. The team of mechanical engineers found this result at 25 to 100 megahertz where the shell and spikes of the virus would completely get destroyed within a matter of milliseconds. They further specify that this result can be experienced in either water or air.

This result shows the potential treatment of the life-taking coronavirus that has rocked the entire world to its cores. With numerous reaches going on and many scientists working themselves to their bones to not only treat this virus but also produce vaccines that deal with the new development of the virus, ultrasound services present themselves to be a preliminary treatment for the virus. With many factors to be taken under consideration such as the effectiveness of this treatment and the overall damage, it can cause to the body the jury is still out on this treatment.

The professor of MIT, Tomasz Wierzbicki says that “It can be seen that the SARS-CoV-2 virus cannot withstand the vibration of an ultrasound test and will continue to vibrate until the amplitude becomes very large, hereby, causing some of the strains of the virus of break and damage the outer shell.” He said that his paper will clearly describe each and every change and development in his paper which can be found in the journal of mechanics and physics of solids.

A Thorny Structure

Coronavirus presented unprecedented effects on the whole world where every single part of the community suffered. The world gathered together to work on the vaccination process and possible treatments of covid-19 to not only minimize the spread of the virus but also remain on the lookout to prevent it from further development. Tomasz worked actively with his team to focus on the structural mechanics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and contribute towards the best possible treatment for its cure which he found through the vibrations of the ultrasound scan.

Starting out with limited information and data, Tomasz and his team were all ready to get on with their journey to find out the response of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to ultrasound test vibrations. They utilized simple and basic mechanisms, theories, and concepts to study the structure of the virus and work out a strategy that would cause the virus to destroy itself without causing any more harm to the body. 

According to some studies done in the past, scientists have figured out an apt structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Coming from the family of influenza and HIV, the structure of coronavirus consists of a smooth and dense shell that is made up of lipid proteins and has spiky receptors coming out from the shell.

Taking this structure under consideration, the team rolled out a model that embodied the virus with an elastic shell that has been covered up with around a hundred elastic spikes. At this time the physical attributes of the virus were unknown so the researchers took this model as an example and tested the shell and spikes for a wide range of elasticity properties and their behavior with the ultrasound test.  

Since the spikes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus were 10 nanometers, they were extremely small for the researchers to know about their material properties. Not only that, the material inside the shell of the covid-19 virus was unknown. Filled with RNA and encapsulated in a capsid shell, the model formed by the team took a lot of modifications and assumptions for the experiment to be carried out. 

Wierzbicki believed that the elastic model is a great start to the research of what sort of procedures would cause the shell of the virus to completely destroy itself.

Damaging The SARS-Cov-2 Virus 

To start out the process of enabling the shell of the covid-19 virus, the team of researchers began with some ultrasound test vibrations and carefully observed the reactions of the figure of the virus across a wide range of frequencies. Initially, the team observed the virus’s behavior on 100megahertz vibrations which was then concluded as the natural frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 virus based on the physical properties that were known at that time.

Upon thorough inspection and a keen eye to all the major and minor changes in the structure of the virus, it was seen that when the virus came in contact with a hundred megahertz frequency there was almost no change to figure. But by continuously putting the virus under the pressure of external vibrations of an ultrasound test with the natural oscillations going on about inside the shell of the virus, the spiky structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus buckled inwards and ruptured itself.

It was later found that implementing the phenomenon of resonance, where a voice at the right pitch volume has the potential to break glass, could also enable the virus to damage itself at a faster rate when kept under the constant pressure of the ultrasound test vibrations with higher amplitude. Regardless of the environment, the shell would buckle faster when it would be introduced to lower frequencies from 25-20 megahertz. The frequencies utilized in this research were also used in ultrasound tests.

All the research and procedures that took place not only identified the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus but also found possible treatments for it. As a result, we can say that vibrations of an ultrasound test can possibly help in treating the virus. As ultrasound imaging has already been used as a treatment for crushing kidney stones, we can put forward the idea of fitting some transducers in the portable devices that we carry on a daily basis to help and hopefully stop the spread of this virus.