A Novel Antiviral Filter for Face Masks

Face masks currently in use by healthcare professionals in the NHS and in social care were not designed to be specifically antiviral. Even worse, the simple cloth and paper disposable masks often used by the general public offer little protection and may even be reservoirs to catch and retain droplets containing viruses. In these unprecedented times when we are faced with the COVID-19 pandemic it is essential that the front-line staff in healthcare are provided with the best possible protection.

Spheritech has developed a porous hydrogel, originally designed for wound healing and tissue repair that has in-built antimicrobial properties. This can readily be prepared in the form of a porous filter for face masks. The porous hydrogel is proven to be effective against bacteria and fungi but it does not contain any antiviral components. Sodium dodecyl sulphate and sodium lauryl sulphate are well known to be antiviral and are the antiviral components of hand soaps. Our vision is to incorporate dodecyl sulphate and/or lauryl sulphate into our porous hydrogel to add antiviral properties to help combat the current coronavirus pandemic and future viral epidemics.

Spheritech has letters of support from large established company for the large scale manufacture of this novel porous filter and support from a mask manufacturing company who already supply the NHS with masks. The process for manufacture is simple and can be scaled rapidly. The raw materials for the filters are a food preservative, poly-epsilon-lysine and the fatty acid suberic acid, both of which are manufactured on a multi-tonne scale.

A unique advantage of using a porous hydrogel is its ability to absorb large amounts of aqueous droplets where the viruses are carried and transmitted.

Extension f this project will allow us to move into manufacture of face masks and filters in-house and supply many thousands of masks to industrial partners.