A decontamination wipe against pathogens such as COVID-19 virus
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the need for easy, safe, effective and environmentally sustainable decontamination devices. Most current decontaminating agents against pathogens are based on chemicals that may cause health complications if used repetitively on human skin and are damaging to ecosystems. The EU-funded ABwipe project developed an innovative new wipe that targets and removes harmful pathogens by binding to them, borrowing a defence strategy from the natural world. “We developed a nature-inspired biomimetic ‘pathogen capture technology’ that contains molecules that bind to pathogens and remove them from physical surfaces and human and animal skin,” says Lokesh Joshi, founder of Aquila Bioscience(opens in new window) and ABwipe project coordinator.
Harnessing a natural defence against pathogenic agents
All cells on the planet are coated with specific proteins and carbohydrates called glycans, essentially alphabets of a chemical language used by cells to either attach to or detach from each other. This applies to all microbes as well, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, including antimicrobial-resistant microbes, which use carbohydrates and proteins to attach to the host cells. “Through evolutionary processes, nature has developed several mechanisms to protect us from pathogens,” explains Joshi. “These mechanisms include antibiotics and vaccination as well as a less known but universal mechanism called pathogen trapping, involving molecules secreted by the body.” The pilot product – called the Anti-Bioagent Decontamination (ABD) Device – takes advantage of this natural defence, employing pathogen-trapping molecules that act as decoys and bind to pathogens so they in turn cannot bind to the host cells. It has already been used by various end users in Czechia, Greece, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. “This is the first technology of its kind that captures and removes pathogens without using any biocides or other harmful chemicals,” notes Joshi.
From prototype to field tests
Through the ABwipe project, the team developed the technology from laboratory prototype to field tests with first responders and other potential end users. The innovative new product was tested in independent European laboratories to assess its efficacy against a number of pathogenic viruses, bacteria and fungi, including tests on removing SARS-CoV-2 virus from human skin. Due to the zero toxicity of the products compared to competitors, the ABwipe team also received requests from government agencies to provide its pilot ABD Device to protect the first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Aquila Bioscience is proud to have played a small role in protecting first responders and many others from SARS-CoV-2 infection,” remarks Joshi.
Applications from forensics to farms
There are other potential uses. The ABwipe doesn’t actually kill the pathogens, but rather captures and traps them, rendering them ineffective. This means they can be transported to the laboratory and forensically analysed. “This technology has multiple potential applications in security, forensics, defence, as well in the healthcare industry,” adds Joshi. The diagnostic and forensic aspects of the technology are currently being trialled in security and healthcare fields in Europe and the United States. The technology could also be useful in the agricultural industry. Animals have the potential to spread harmful pathogens, and most of the past pandemics have emerged from animals. “Aquila Bioscience is proud to be a small European company, developing a whole new way of translating knowledge of host-pathogen interactions into technologies to protect us from pathogens and infectious diseases,” Joshi says.
