Electric Anti-Viral Face Mask Eradicates Coronavirus Upon Contact

Researchers from the Indiana University (Bloomington, IN, USA) have demonstrated for the first time that coronaviruses are killed upon exposure to an electroceutical fabric.

"Electroceutical" refers to a matrix of embedded microcell batteries that creates an electric field and wirelessly generates a low level of electricity in the presence of moisture. Coronaviruses rely on electrostatic interactions to be able to attach to their host and assemble themselves into an infective form. Their structure must remain stable in order to spread infection. The electroceutical surface technology, called V.Dox Technology, is a proprietary dot-matrix pattern of embedded microcell batteries that create an electric field and wirelessly generate a low level of electricity when moist.

Their research results demonstrated that the ability of the virus to infect is fully eliminated within one minute of contact with the fabric, which disrupts the electrostatic forces the virus needs. The data shows that coronaviruses are killed by exposure to the low-level electric field-generating fabric, which is currently in use as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial wound care dressing. The electroceutical technology offers clinicians a non-antibiotic solution for infection risk reduction and potentially increases its value for use in face masks and possibly other surface treatments. The immediate goal with the data findings is to receive approval through the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization program to apply use of the fabric specifically for face masks in the fight against COVID-19.

"This work presents the first evidence demonstrating that the physical characteristic features of coronaviruses may be exploited to render them non-infective following contact with low-level electric field-generating electroceutical fabric," said Chandan Sen, principal author of the study and director of the Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering at the IU School of Medicine. "Our hope is that these findings will help Vomaris receive FDA Emergency Use Authorization and that we can utilize this fabric widely in the fight against COVID-19, ultimately saving lives."

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