Incubation start-up develops antimicrobial solution

New Delhi: Textiles have a major role to play in maintaining health and hygiene, particularly in the medical field where maintenance of sanitation is required round the clock, especially in a post-pandemic era. Medical linens are used in bed sheets, blankets, towels, personal clothing, patient apparel, uniforms, gowns, drapes for surgical procedures.

Medicfibers, a FITT, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi incubated startup, in collaboration with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, has developed an antimicrobial solution Viroclog® that when applied as a coating on textiles, provides long-lasting protection against HAI by reducing virus, bacteria, fungi survival on fabric.

Textile materials are major carriers of microbial pathogens resulting in serious Hospital- acquired infections (HAI) globally. According to the WHO, every 1 in 10 hospitalized patients experiences a hospital-acquired infection (HAI) globally.

"Hospital-acquired microbial infections are a major problem not only in India but globally. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a renewed sense of urgency in tackling this issue. In this context, it is now being realized that clothing and textile materials are not only carriers of microorganisms such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi, but also can act as a breeding ground for the growth of these microbes.

Therefore, there is an urgent unmet need for medical workers in hospital settings to have protective clothing that provides long-lasting protection against microbes while being economical and comfortable," Dr Vikram Saini, Medical Advisor to the startup and a faculty member at AIIMS New Delhi said.

The makers have claimed that Coating the Viroclog® on textiles lowers the surface energy, prevents adhesion of microbes and destroys the membrane integrity of microbes. Destruction of lipid-based membrane barrier makes the microbes inactive, thus preventing infection transmission.

The basic significance of this technology, according to the makers, is to save lives and reduce healthcare associated costs by integrating antimicrobial technology with hospital clothing that provides a layer of protection against microbial pathogens. The tests done by AIIMS New Delhi, IISc Bangalore, and multiple NABL accredited labs, have shown that Viroclog® technology contributes significantly towards reducing infections through antimicrobial hospital clothing.

Dr Sachin Kumar, mentor to the Medicfibers startup and a faculty member at the Centre of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Delhi says that HAIs may lead to prolonged hospitalization, added financial burden, and often more mortality. Which is why there is a strong rationale for developing technology in India to reduce the HAI burden through a range of antimicrobial hospital clothing for healthcare.