Scientists at MRIGlobal have co-authored newly published research demonstrating that the application of visible blue light using a specially designed biological light unit can be an effective countermeasure against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The technique could expand the current portfolio of intervention strategies beyond the conventional approaches of vaccine, antibody, and antiviral therapeutics. Featured in Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed international science journal, the article is entitled “Visible blue light inhibits infection and replication of SARS-CoV-2 at doses that are well-tolerated by human respiratory tissue.”
“As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to reap human and economic tolls around the world, and novel variants emerge, it’s clear that we need to extend therapeutic intervention strategies beyond vaccination and public health measures,” said MRIGlobal Principal Scientist Shelton Bradrick, Ph.D. who conducted the study with Staff Scientists Joy Miller and Theresa Seitz, members of the Infectious Diseases, Surveillance and Diagnostics division. “The innovative biological light unit technology could be an important expansion to the existing arsenal of therapeutic countermeasures.”
Read more about MRIGlobal’s work in SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Capabilities.