Biola University’s School of Science, Technology and Health stated in a media release that a cutting-edge discovery was made by students and faculty led by a Sri Lankan, Prof. Richard Gunesekera showing that molecular nanomachines can destroy viruses.
It said that the Covid-19 pandemic showed a need for new ways to combat viruses leading to two Biola professors conceptualising a technique that resulted in advancement on how to treat viruses beyond vaccines and defence mechanisms.
The research paper was published in the April issue of the prestigious academic journal Science.
In early 2020, Biola professors Richard Gunasekera and Associate professor Dr. Don Galbadage started researching how to use nanomachines to kill viruses. The research was made possible with the help of nanomachines provided by Dr. James Tour’s lab at Rice University in Houston, where Prof. Gunesekera worked earlier.
Biola’s advancement will allow for another way to treat multiple viruses and step toward finding a new way to rid viruses that infect humans by using nanotechnology and the field of nanomedicine, making it less invasive.
“We have tested the nanomachines in more than one way. So, we now have several lines of evidence to show that our virus is truly destroyed,” said Prof Gunasekera.
“We have tested it in the solid phase; then we’ve tested it at the liquid phase; and we’ve maintained the experiments for 24 hours, but the virus did not come back – which showed that they were completely destroyed by the nanomachines and not just inhibited.”
This discovery highlights the importance of nanotechnology in the medical field. As infections become more rampant, technology is advancing to accommodate rapidly changing diseases.
The other members of the team were Marisa Arthur who joined as a student and received the first-place award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her work on the project. The other students in the research team were Katelyn Spradley,Grace Oh, Jacob Ulam and Tianna Bitz.