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Lasers Able to Zap Viruses

Find the right frequency, and they shatter like a wine glass

By Sam Gale Rosen, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 6, 2008 2:05 PM CST

(Newser) – Laser pulses tuned to the right frequency can be used to zap viruses, researchers have found, the way a soprano can shatter a wine glass, LiveScience reports. Scientists have developed computer models to determine a virus's lowest resonant frequency, and then destroy it with a laser pulse. "Like pushing a child on a swing from rest, one impulsive push gets the virus shaking," one says.

There are, however, some barriers to using the method as a treatment., including the fact that the lasers can't penetrate deeply into skin. One solution would be a dialysis-like system that passes blood through a machine where it could be zapped; ultrasound machines might also be used. One advantage is that viruses seem less likely to develop resistance to such methods than they have to drugs used to fight them.

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

Researchers theorize that using the correct resonance frequency, a virus could be "shaken" to death, much like the way a wine glass can be shattered by a powerful voice. (Shutterstock.com)

"The capsid of a virus is something like the shell of a turtle," said physicist Otto Sankey of Arizona State University. "If the shell can be compromised [by mechanical vibrations], the virus can be inactivated." (Shutterstock.com)

The HIV virus, seen here in this 3D diagram, may one day be treated by a yet-to-be discovered resonance frequency that causes it to rupture and deactivate. (Shutterstock.com)

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Lasers Able to Zap Viruses