In the US, more than 100,000 patients die every year from complications due to hospital-acquired infections. This includes infections at wound sites, catheters but also transmission of oftentimes drug-resistant bacteria and viruses from high-touch surfaces. While traditional disinfectants are very effective in eliminating pathogens they do not prevent recontamination of a recently cleaned and disinfected surface.

PhotoCide Protection develops self-disinfecting materials such as fabrics, plastics, and coatings based on a disruptive technology that combines engineered cellulose (NFC) with photosensitizers (PS, compounds that react with room light and oxygen from air)to emit an environmentally-friendly biocidal agent called ‘singlet’ oxygen that simultaneously destroys a wide range of harmful pathogens on surfaces.

Recent advances in the development of one formulation resulted in an antimicrobial surface with residual activity of up to 30 days with activity against coronaviruses and norovirus surrogates. Inactivation of these pathogens up to 99.99% was accomplished in just 5-15 min of exposure to ambient light.

The products PhotoCide is trying to bring to market initially include self adhesive tapes with prolonged antimicrobial action that can be applied to high-touch surfaces such as bedrails, door handles, elevator buttons, call bells and many others as well as self-disinfecting mats to be used on desks, countertops and patient over bed tray tables.