High-Frequency Ultrasound Disables Viruses While Sparing Human Cells

Respiratory viral infections such as influenza A and COVID-19 continue to challenge patient management. Antiviral drugs are generally difficult to develop, and safe, broadly applicable options remain limited. Hospitals need modalities that can disable pathogens without harming surrounding tissue. To help address this challenge, researchers have now demonstrated that high‑frequency ultrasound can inactivate enveloped respiratory viruses while sparing human cells.

Scientists at the University of São Paulo (USP), led by the São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC), report that acoustic resonance generated by high‑frequency ultrasound disrupts the structural integrity of enveloped viruses, including SARS‑CoV‑2 and influenza A H1N1. The team describes morphological changes that culminate in rupture of viral particles and loss of infectivity. Findings were detailed in Scientific Reports on February 13, 2026.

The approach relies on the geometry of spherical, enveloped viruses, which absorb ultrasound energy and convert it to internal vibrations that mechanically destabilize the lipid envelope. Unlike low‑frequency cavitation used for equipment sterilization, which can damage surrounding tissue, acoustic resonance operates at higher frequencies in the 3–20 MHz range. The process does not alter temperature or pH of the medium and is described as selective because only the virus absorbs the energy and becomes destabilized.

According to the researchers, the method is not intended for decontamination of instruments or surfaces and remains far from clinical application. Early in vitro work is already extending to other enveloped pathogens, including dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. The project involved USP’s Virology Research Center and the Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases at the Ribeirão Preto Medical School, the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCFRP‑USP), the Faculty of Science and Technology at São Paulo State University (UNESP), and Rockefeller University, which supplied fluorescent viruses for real‑time visualization.

“The phenomenon is entirely geometric. Spherical particles, such as many enveloped viruses, absorb ultrasound wave energy more effectively. It’s that accumulation of energy inside the particle that causes changes in the structure of the viral envelope until it ruptures. Therefore, if viruses were triangular or square, they wouldn’t undergo the same ‘popcorn effect’ of acoustic resonance,” said Odemir Martinez Bruno, a professor at the IFSC-USP.

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São Carlos Institute of Physics