Kepley BioSystems Protective PPE
Researchers from Kepley BioSystems have invented the means to “permanently infuse” reusable substrates such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical garments with antimicrobial functional fullerenes that could withstand cleaning. These fullerenes are developed to bind to and inactivate pathogens such as viruses, fungi, and bacteria, potentially SARS-CoV-2, the company reported in a news release.
Lead inventor Terry Brady of Kepley BioSystems told MD+DI that “the microbiocidal properties of a halogenated fullerene is absolute when contacting a pathogenic microbe. By way of explanation, a fullerene (C60) is small and fits between the spikes of a coronavirus and the halogen barb bonded to the outer C60 cage (caustic) will easily pinprick any virus or bacteria and fungi.” The fullerenes would remain functional in the material and would not be released into the atmosphere or into the human bloodstream, he explained.
Added Anthony Dellinger, president of Kepley BioSystems, in the release: “Our group has a unique blend of medical and fullerene development depth, and this invention crosses the regulatory Rubicon by maximizing the therapeutic potential of fullerenes without systemic.
The Kepley Bioactive PPE material renders pathogenic particles inactive through a combination of orchestrated physics phenomena. When a virus contacts the applied hydrophilic coatings, it is naturally pulled into the material and against the opposing pressure of the embedded halofullerenes. The tension created will draw the virus into the caustic halogenated barbs disrupting the protein bonds of the virus, rendering it inactive and ultimately harmless.” Image and caption courtesy of Kepley BioSystems.
In a white paper shared with MD+DI, the company argued that current PPE solutions have provided hydrophobic microbial barriers, but because they lack antimicrobial properties and typically repel pathogens, they “impart little direct benefit for the control of pathogens (elimination or transmissibility).”
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