Page 48


www.us-tech.com


June, 2021


Using Millimeter Wave Technology to Prevent Future Viral Outbreaks


By Dr. Dave Rizzo T


he next breakthrough in the fight against deadly viral out- breaks may be just a higher fre-


quency away. While millimeter wave (MMW) devices are more commonly associated with military applications, remote sensing, security screening, and next-generation telecommunica- tions, it is now being used to gain new insight into the mechanics of viral transfer. Curt Dunnam, director of opera-


tions at the ACERT National Biomedical Center at Cornell Univ - ersity, works with a research team that understands the vital urgency to perfect biomedical research devices that operate at the higher end of the MMW spectrum. Initially limited by the physics of


waveguide technology, Dunnam and co-workers overcame this barrier through advanced componentry and quasi-optical techniques that can now enlist millimeter-wave technology in the search for treatments for COVID- 19 and similar viruses. ACERT’s investigation into con-


stituents of the coronavirus is part of a collaboration with other university


Spectrometer setup at Cornell University.


teams that has been deemed critical to the coronavirus research effort. “Our research is significantly


involved in SARS-CoV-2 spike-protein studies,” says Dunnam. “A new gener- ation of high-field, high-frequency electron spin resonance spectrometers hold the future promise of more close- ly analyzing fusion peptide structure and function in the current coron- avirus as well as other similar viral proteins.”


Biochemistry and Electromagnetics


NMR and MRI devices have long


been the gold standard for determin- ing molecular structure and diagnos- ing soft tissue abnormalities such as tumors. Similar, but more advanced, microwave base electron-spin reso- nance (ESR) technology has enabled medical researchers to identify a chink in the coronavirus armor. In a recent paper, Susan Daniel


and Gary Whittaker of Cornell University describe that the coron- avirus uses a spike protein — specifi-


Continued on page 50


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76