Scientists use ultrasound to destroy influenza A and COVID-19 viruses without damaging human cells. The phenomenon, known as acoustic resonance, causes structural changes in viral particles until they rupture and become inactivated. It paves the way for new treatments against other viral infections.

Scientists use ultrasound to destroy influenza A and COVID-19 viruses without damaging human cells

The use of high-frequency waves paves the way for new treatments against other viral infections such as dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered that high-frequency ultrasound waves similar to those used in medical exams can eliminate viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 without damaging human cells. In an article published in Scientific Reports, they described how the phenomenon, known as acoustic resonance, causes structural changes in viral particles until they rupture and become inactivated.

“It’s kind of like fighting the virus with a shout. In this study, we proved that the energy of sound waves causes morphological changes in viral particles until they explode, a phenomenon comparable to what happens with popcorn. By degrading the structure of the pathogen, the protective membrane of the virus [called the envelope] bursts and deforms, preventing the virus from invading human cells,” explains Odemir Martinez Bruno, a professor at the São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC) at USP who coordinated the study.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-37584-x

This is one of those ideas that sounds sci-fi until you realize it is basically exploiting the virus’s own structure against it. The interesting part will be delivery and targeting. Destroying viral particles in a controlled lab setting is very different from doing it safely and consistently inside an actual human body.

https://xkcd.com/1217/

I’m intrigued, but let’s see how animal trials go first