Engineering researchers at the University of Alberta have developed an antimicrobial solution that kills infectious agents that come in contact with face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
The substance can be used to spray or soak protective cloths and masks, or applied as a film to high-traffic surfaces such as elevator buttons, doorknobs and handrails, said Hyo, a professor of chemistry. – said Jick Choi. and materials engineering.
Choi says his substance has been tested on human coronaviruses, influenza viruses, and multiple infectious bacteria and has been shown to “effectively kill them.”
Filtration of infectious droplets by PPE fabrics currently relies primarily on mesh size, Choi said. Viruses and bacteria on textile surfaces can survive for days to weeks, “raising safety concerns about contact contamination from used textiles during use and disposal.”
Choi’s “universal pathogen denier” can be easily applied to conventional fabrics and solid surfaces of PPE, and effectively inactivates infectious viruses and bacteria through physical contact, he says.
Antibiotic research is part of two programs Choi and his team are working to improve pandemic preparedness. They are also working on a solid vaccine that can be taken orally. It is easier to administer than injection, but more stable and easier to store than solutions that require refrigeration.
Conventional laboratory-level attempts to develop antimicrobial compounds using biochemical, metal, or carbon-based materials suffer from slow inactivation, toxicity, rapid loss of antimicrobial activity, and limited scalability. Choi said he could not overcome the problem of
His antibacterial molecule is activated in the presence of light — even indoor light, “can be very weak,” he says — and it can be applied permanently to surfaces. Choi said his team has overcome major technical hurdles and it is now up to industry partners to apply the polymer in specific commercial products.
Original: Light-activated solution kills infectious viruses and bacteria on contact
Than: University of Alberta
