Groundbreaking Nanotech by RI Company Neutralizes 100% of Coronavirus in Under 1 Minute, Finds Brown
Saturday, February 27, 2021
Graphene Composites (GC), a leading, global nano-materials engineering company with operations in Rhode Island, has announced that independent testing conducted by Brown University has shown its new technology to be 100% effective at neutralizing coronavirus and influenza viruses in under one minute.
The technology -- GC Ink™ -- is a "game changer in reopening schools safely and quickly," according to GC. The findings have been published on bioRxiv.
“Our results show that this technology is very effective at preventing infection by two important respiratory viruses which clearly has important implications for this pandemic and the next one," said top Brown University respiratory virologist Amanda M. Jamieson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, who oversaw the study.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe potential applications are wide-ranging, says the company, pointing out that the "fast-acting, extremely effective, and safe formulation of graphene and silver nanoparticles can be applied to masks and other PPE, and in particular, applied to filters in ventilation systems."
When used in filters and masks, GC Ink™ is highly effective at trapping and neutralizing airborne coronaviruses and other viruses/bacteria for several weeks, says GC -- and when used in wipes, GC Ink also leaves a thin, highly effective, safe layer of protection against viruses and bacteria "that lasts for 24 hours."
"The big news is that there are a lot [of these products] that are 99% [effective] in 10 minutes — ours are 100% in less than 1 minute," GC Founder and President Sandy Chen told GoLocal in an interview on Saturday.
GoLocal first featured Chen in February 2020. READ: Does This Rhode Islander Have the Next Big Thing?
"Give anyone the choice, do you want the 99% [effectiveness] in 10 minutes or 100% in less than a minute?" Chen told GoLocal.
Chen believes that GC Ink™ will be able to be deployed at a much more cost-effective rate than other technologies.
"The key thing is this affordable. For a ventilation system in a school, I’d say it’s between $10,000 and $15,000 for the air filtration system [through other companies]," said Chen of competitors. "Ours will be $10."
"Rhode Island, from [Governor Gina] Raimondo down has been supportive. Commerce has made available the innovation voucher funding for these tests, and now the next testing at the Department of Health," said Chen. "Most crucially, Raimondo approved funding for 401Tech Bridge, and we plan to manufacture the vast majority of of the GC Ink™ in this Rhode Island facility."
"It will be great for Rhode Island, but it could have significant positive impact on the entire pandemic," added Chen.
Latest Testing
According to GC, the technology is highly effective because it has a dual-action mechanism: the negatively-charged surface of graphene oxide traps the positively-charged parts of water droplets and the protein spikes on coronavirus; the silver nanoparticles release ions that oxidize the lipid membrane protecting coronavirus RNA, thereby neutralizing it.
“Making the air that we breathe and the surfaces that we touch much safer could be a key enabler in the safe reopening of schools and other public space," said Chen. "GC Ink™ is a powerful weapon against not only this pandemic, but against a broad range of viruses and bacteria. We are now moving into full commercialization of our GC Ink™ with several manufacturing partners in a wide variety of applications, from masks to filters to consumer goods.”
As demand for GC Ink™ rises, Graphene Composites is well positioned to scale production to meet demand across the United States and worldwide, with the State of Rhode Island-funded Nanomaterials Center of Excellence at 401 Tech Bridge serving as a key production facility.
Brown is now in the process of testing the virus in a BSL3 facility in partnership with the Rhode Island Dept of Health (RIDOH). Because the tested Coronavirus OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 (which causes Covid-19) have similar structures, it is expected that GC Ink™ will prove to be similarly effective against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
GC Ink™ formulations are protected by patents pending.
Editor's Note: A previous version reported $6.6 million was approved by Raimondo for 401 Tech Bridge. According to 401 Tech Bridge, RI received $1.5M of state funding for equipment related to the Nanotech capabilities, and have received $6.65M+ total funding which includes fed, state and private funding sources.
Updated: 1:46 PM Saturday
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