Sao Paulo. Brazilian scientists discovered that high-frequency ultrasound waves, similar to those used in routine medical examinations, can eliminate the coronavirus disease (covid-19) and H1N1 influenza viruses without causing damage to human cells, the state-run Research Support Foundation of the State of Sao Paulo (FAPESP) reported today.

The finding, published in the journal “Scientific Reports”, opens a new therapeutic avenue against viral diseases and could also be applied to others such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya, pathologies that affect millions of people around the world.

The phenomenon, called acoustic resonance, causes structural alterations in the viral particles until their total rupture and inactivation.

The researchers, from the University of Sao Paulo (USP), described how high-frequency waves manage to burst the protective membrane of the virus without affecting the patient’s tissues, according to the FAPESP report.

“In this study we prove that the energy of sound waves causes a morphological change in the viral particles to the point that they explode, in a phenomenon comparable to what happens with popcorn,” explained the professor at the USP Institute of Physics and coordinator of the study, Odemir Martinez Bruno.

According to Bruno, as the structure of the pathogen degrades, the protective membrane of the virus bursts and deforms, which prevents the infectious agent from invading human cells.

The mechanism represents a promising alternative to the conventional development of antivirals, a process that is usually long, expensive and with uncertain results.

In turn, professor at the Federal University of Alfenas (Unifal), state of Minas Gerais (southeast) and postdoctoral researcher funded by FAPESP, Flávio Protásio Veras, stated that this is a “promising” strategy against enveloped viruses in general, “since the development of chemical antivirals is complex and difficult to achieve.”

“In addition, it is a ‘green’ solution, since it does not generate waste, does not cause environmental impact and does not favor viral resistance,” he added.

The discovery surprised the scientific community because it contradicts classic theories of physics, in the sense that the wavelength of ultrasound is much greater than the size of the virus, which in theory would prevent any interaction between the two.

The research brought together theoretical physicists, acousticians and virology specialists from various Brazilian institutions and also had the collaboration of Charles Rice, professor at the Rockefeller University in the United States and 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine, who provided fluorescent viruses for visualization in real time.

Unlike low-frequency ultrasound already used for decontamination of surgical and dental equipment, which destroys any biological material through a phenomenon called cavitation, acoustic resonance operates at high frequencies of between 3 and 20 megahertz.

The action of this resonance is selective, since only the virus absorbs the energy and is destabilized, without risk to human tissues.

The team continues with in vitro tests against dengue, chikungunya and Zika, high-impact diseases in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.