RUDN University and RLT scientists: Light, magnetic field, and ultrasound could help fight COVID-19

A team of researchers from RUDN University and RLT suggested restoring normal levels of lymphocytes in patients with COVID-19 and other viral diseases by subjecting them to the combined influence of light, magnetic field, and ultrasound. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology.

Some COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, while others suffer from complications. To effectively fight coronavirus with drugs and therapeutic methods, scientists and medics have to find out what causes these differences in the course of the disease. A team of scientists from RUDN University together with their colleagues from the international company Radiant Life Technologies (RLT) suggested that the reason might lie in the gradual depletion and death of lymphocytes due to aging, chronic diseases, and stress. However, the population of lymphocytes could potentially be restored with biophysical radiances.

"We have studied COVID-19 immunopathology from the point of view of bioenergetics to better understand the biophysical grounds of immune processes. We believe that specific cell functions depend on the kinetics of basic cell life support," said Prof. Oksana Gizinger, a Ph.D. in Biology from the Department of Immunology and Allergology, Institute of Medicine at RUDN University.

The term 'bioenergetics' is often used by psychics and adepts of alternative medicine to describe such notions as auras or biofields. However, in fundamental science, it means a field of knowledge about energy exchange within living systems and between them and the environment. Having studied the immune cells of coronavirus patients, scientists found a correlation between bioenergetics and immune system reactions. For example, to develop an adequate immune response, activated T lymphocytes require dozens of times more energy than to remain in their regular state. However, when a body's energy reserves are depleted, T lymphocytes cannot function properly and the levels of exhaustion markers PD-1, TIM-3, CTLA-4, and TIGIT increase from their minimum in the asymptomatic period to the maximum when a patient is admitted to ICU. In severe cases, the lymphocyte count decreases to 5-15%. If the situation does not improve within a week, the risk of fatality is extremely high.

Having analyzed scientific literature, the team found out that the outcome of the disease could be predicted with 90% accuracy using just two parameters: the level of lactate dehydrogenase and the reduction of lymphocyte count. The researchers suggested that the depletion of the lymphocyte population caused by systemic energy deficiency could cause adaptive immunity disfunction. The bodies of elderly people, patients with chronic diseases, or those under stress fail to meet the increased energy demands of the immune system which leads to a more serious progression of the disease. If this assumption is correct, the problem could be solved by stimulating lymphocyte regeneration.

According to the team's hypothesis, this could be achieved by treating the cells with four types of biophysical radiances at once: laser, monochromatic light, magnetic field, and ultrasound. Presumably, when properly combined, these radiances could support the regeneration of lymphocytes.

"We believe that a combination of these biophysical radiances could help restore the cells, improve the work of the immune system, and speed up the recovery. Our coherent multi-radiance (coMra) technology combines infrared, laser, visible monochromatic, magnetic, and ultrasonic radiances in one device. Together, they stimulate cellular functions, such as immune defense and tissue regeneration," added Arzhan Surazakov, Ph.D., Director of Research and Development at Radiant Life Technologies.

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