We’re all so excited to see lasers used as light sabers instead of key chain pointers. The gap between the two may actually prove to unite us against a common enemy. No, it’s not the Sith. Viruses and diseases are being targeted by groundbreaking laser research.

Currently, lasers can cause more harm than good, sometimes destroying cells and DNA. Physicists at Arizona State University have developed an improved technique that can kill viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis without harming human cells.

Using a femtosecond laser, the machine shoots out beams at extreme speeds. A femtosecond blazes by at 1 millionth of a billionth of a second. Instead of burning through the targeted cells, like lasers today, they use a process that can be compared to an opera singer breaking a glass with a high-pitched note. The vibration to the protein envelope in microorganisms is deadly.

Now the clock is ticking to find the perfect wavelengths as the vibrations need to be safe for human cells. The vast differences between the composition of protein coats in human cells and bacteria or viruses allow for the team to zero in on a specific frequency.

Although the treatment may not be available for some time, immediate uses could be to disinfect blood supplies and biomaterials. Lead researcher Kong-Thon Tsen told the BBC, “The research … could provide treatments against some of the worst, often drug-resistant, bacterial and viral pathogens.”

[BBC]

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