An advanced process for coating medical textiles with antibacterial nanoparticles through a one-step sonochemical reaction

Project Information

SONO-textile

Grant agreement ID: 774401

DOI

10.3030/774401

Project closed

EC signature date 2 May 2017

Start date 1 June 2017

End date 30 September 2017

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Nanotechnologies

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

Sonovia LTD
Israel

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SONO-textile (An advanced process for coating medical textiles with antibacterial nanoparticlesthrough a one-step sonochemical reaction)

Reporting period: 2017-06-01 to 2017-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

What is the problem/issue being addressed?

- The main problem we are addressing is the global epidemic of Hospital Acquired Infections. Current Antibacterial solutions (Chemical Binders and Extrusion based solutions) cannot deliver the required performance which is required from Hospitals. Both contain major drawbacks, with the main drawbacks being: 1. Chemical Binders - Lack of durability to Industrial washing cycles, 2. Extrusion - relevant only to polymer fibers and very expensive.
- The financial damage due to Hospital Acquired Infections in the US and EU alone is estimated at 60B USD
- In the EU in 2014, 6,995 (8%) of patients staying in an intensive care unit (ICU) for more than two days presented with at least one ICU-acquired healthcare-associated infection (HAI) (https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/infections-acquired-intensive-care-units-annual-report-2016)

Why is it important for society?

- Hospitals around the world, even in the most developed countries, are becoming a very high risk option for medical care. In order to continue providing efficient and quality medical treatment for those who are in need, we need to think of innovative solutions which will assist Hospital to majorly decrease HAI incidents. Those incidents take a toll on both the patients, their families, the Healthcare system and the Tax payers money. All of those elements that are being damaged due to HAI incidents, directly damage the local and global economy (loss of working days, loss of income, less available expenses resources, less expenses, increased expenses by Government backed healthcare funds etc.). Nano Textile's Novel Antibacterial coating process presents one key solution for the fight against Hospital Acquired Infections.

What are the overall objectives?

- Aggressive adoption of Nano Textile's Novel Antibacterial process within the Hospital Textile market
- Additional adoption in other demanding market

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Nano Textile's Novel Antibacterial coating solution is comprised of 2 elements: 1. A Sono-coating machine and 2. Chemical formulation & process. Nano Textile will remain focused on the chemical formulation & process aspect of the solution, and utilize a strategic partner for the manufacturing and supply of the Sono-chemical coating machines.

Milestones achieved during the project:

Machinery -

- Communicating with the world's leading fabric finishing machine manufacturers for the development and commercialization of the Sono-chemical coating machinery
- Due to close a final agreement with the chosen fabric finishing machine partner in Q4/2017. A business trip to Germany will take place between 16 and 19 of October, specifically for this cause

Chemical formulations and process -

- Nano Textile is already thinking on developing a complimentary portfolio of Sono-chemical applications in order to support the demand of the Healthcare sector, such as Fire resistance and Water repellent treatments
- As Nano Textile won't become a chemical manufacturing company (much like much of the chemical binders companies), Nano Textile is already communicating with leading chemical manufacturers across the globe in order to locate the most suitable white label supplier of the chemical compounds developed by Nano Textile

Business Model and Business Plan -

- Nano Textile has refined its Business Model and Business plan to support an Aggressive penetration & Growth in the market
- Both the Business Model and Business Plan where introduced to high profile textile companies, Fabric finishing experts, and Textile market experts, in order to validate the feasibility of the Business Model
- A clear financial plan was established for the years 2018 - 2023 (1 year of scale-up and 5 years of commercialization)


Commercialization -

- Nano Textile established a coherent, and feasible, Go-to-Market plan, with June 2019, at the famous ITMA conference, being the company's Go-to-Market target
- Nano Textile has already established a Scale-up / R&D plan with its designated machine partner
- Nano Textile is already communicating with global leading Healthcare textile suppliers which express great interest in joining Nano Textile in its scale-up / R&D process, in order to test the application/s on their own fabrics, help develop additional necessary applications, and potentially become early adopters of Nano Textile's technology
- Nano Textile is experiencing overwhelming interest for its Novel Antibacterial Sono-coating, but also in general, as Nano Textile's approach to coating and the performance achieved (no leaching, permanent coating) presents a potential solution to a very painful element in the Textile Industry - The Health hazard to end user and the environment due to the use of chemical binders (http://www.roadmaptozero.com/). Fire Resistant treatment which is a very common treatment in Hospital Textiles, is a very hazardous treatment for the end user. Nano Textile has the potential to eliminate this hazard.

Strengthening the company's Advisory Board -

- Nano Textile is now negotiating on adding Prof. Yehuda Carmeli, a globally renowned Immunology expert, to assist the company in its efforts to penetrate the market, and in future clinical trails
- Nano Textile is actively scouting for additional Advisory Board prospects

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Progress beyond the state of the art:

- Due to begin a Scale-up phase from January 2018 - January 2019
- Nano Textile is traveling to Germany between October 16 - October 19 to negotiate final terms with it's designated fabric finishing machine partner

expected results until the end of the project and potential impact (It is not clear what you refer to with "end of the project"):

- Aggressive penetration to the Healthcare textile market
- Developing additional apllication which are demanded by this sector (FR, Water repellent, Stronger Antibacterial coating, Anti-viral coating, etc.)

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