The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi incubated startup Medicfibers in collaboration with AIIMS, New Delhi, has developed an antimicrobial solution called viroclog. The solution when applied as a coating on textiles helps reduce virus, bacteria, fungi survival on fabric, claims the developers.
The researchers said that the basic significance of this technology 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 textile materials are major carriers of microbial pathogens resulting in serious Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) globally, said IIT Delhi.
Coating the viroclog on textiles, lowers the surface energy preventing adhesion of microbes and destroys the membrane integrity of microbes. Destruction of lipid-based membrane barrier makes the microbes inactive, thus preventing infection transmission, says the researchers.
The tests done by AIIMS New Delhi, IISc Bangalore, and multiple NABL accredited labs, show that viroclog technology contributes significantly towards reducing infections through antimicrobial hospital clothings, claimed IIT Delhi.
“Clothing materials provide room for the growth of pathogenic bacteria as they are porous, which only increases further in the humid and warm environment of the Indian subcontinent. Further, HAIs lead to prolonged hospitalization, added financial burden, and often more mortality. Therefore, there is a strong rationale for developing technology in India to reduce the HAI burden through a range of antimicrobial hospital clothing for healthcare,” Dr Sachin Kumar, mentor to the startup and a faculty member at the Centre of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Delh added.
“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.
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