Antiviral coating technology called DioX could kill Covid in as little as an hour, research shows (File)
London:
Scientists at Cambridge University working with an antiviral coating technology called DioX believe it could protect face mask users by killing the deadly coronavirus in as little as an hour.
According to “The Daily Telegraph”, the invisible cover on faces attacks the virus by invading its outer layer, effectively eliminating all a new mutant version, incorporating the UK Kent variety and the South African variant.
“The antiviral agent inside the mask cover kills the virus by breaking its outer protective part, called its envelope. Unlike other parts of the virus. , the membrane remains the same despite any kind of mutation, so this pathogen attack works on any new version of coronavirus, “said Dr Graham Christie, senior lecturer at the Department of Chemical Engineering. and Biotechnology at Cambridge University, told the newspaper.
“Of course, you could suppress the whole genome of the virus and it would have no effect on the envelope. We expect to see the same response no matter what the weight of a coronavirus because structurally they are all very similar, “he said.
The technology known as DiOX is based on quaternary ammonium salts – organic fertilizers that are widely used in the clothing industry for their non-chemical properties. Laboratory tests showed that the mask covered with 95 percent of pathogens on its surface killed within an hour and remained unknown after four hours.
Experts say that the action of the antiviral agent continues to work because it is not affected by changes in the spike protein of the virus, which is the way the coronavirus moves.
“The mutations we are seeing occur in the spike proteins that clog the surface of the virus rather than the membrane of the envelope,” Dr. Christie said.
“It is the genetic information that encodes this circulating protein, which leads to very small structural changes in the shape of the spike. However, the envelope comes from part of a human cell that the virus receives from its host to protect its genetic material. It is made from lipids, which are not unlike the proteins that change, “he said.
According to the newspaper report, the mask is reusable and can be washed up to 20 times, although it is subject to a decrease in effectiveness after several washes. During the study, the mask was tested for a coronavirus called MHV-A59, which is genetically and structurally very similar to SARS-CoV-2.
“Cambridge’s work followed industry standards for testing for viruses,” said Andy Middleton, co-founder of LiquidNano, the UK company that commissioned the study.
“It also made some drastic changes to give it a more ‘real-world’ relevance. This included performing shower experiments to mimic sneezing, which “We have tested and developed an anti – virus agent for clothing to create an easy – to – use mask,” he said.
DioX D4 claims to offer patented technology for inhibiting growth in a wide range of bacteria, mold, mildew, algae, fungi and yeast on clothing products.
The novel antimicrobial agent provides an invisible microbiostatic coating to prevent the growth of bacteria-induced odors. With the coronavirus pandemic, DiOX D4 reported that it has also been independently tested to rapidly reduce bacterial and viral pathogens, “significantly limiting the risk of contact contamination and infection”.
If proven effective in further studies, the coating technology could provide additional protection against deadly viruses over time.