Dirty hands and surfaces aren’t the only places loaded with bacteria in hospitals. According to Dr. David Kirschman, healthcare settings are teeming with airborne pathogens that could cause infection, but surprisingly little is being done about it.
Last year, Kirschman, a neurosurgeon in Dayton, Ohio, started Aerobiotix to build devices that use UV light to kill off viruses, bacteria and spores floating in the air.
That in itself isn’t a new concept, but the company takes a creative approach of attacking moving pathogens (which, as you can imagine, is harder than killing them on a surface).
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
Aerobiotix’s device pre-filters air to remove dust and dirt particles, and then essentially runs it through a maze of randomly oriented lenses it calls the “3D-UV reactor.” The lenses create turbulence in the airstream, causing pathogens to get caught up. Meanwhile, they’re being blasted with UVC light, a known killer of some of the most common culprits of hospital-acquired infections. This results in longer exposure to the light and higher kill rates at modest power levels, the company says. Then air is run through a HEPA filter before being released.
In tests at the Research Triangle Institute, Aerobiotix said its device eliminated 100 percent of viruses, 99.97 percent of bacteria and 99.91 percent of spores from the air with one pass-through.
Along with hand washing and sterilization of devices and surfaces, air disinfection is part of some facilities’ strategy for preventing hospital-acquired infections.
“We have seen a strong response for our commercial unit, particularly with hospitals,” Kirschman said. “We have placed several systems nationally, including in northeast Ohio.”
Now, to meet customer requests, Aerobiotix has condensed the device’s motor, built a smaller reactor and used less expensive materials to scale it down for personal and light commercial use. To secure the final certifications it needs and start the production of the Aero One, the company is looking to raise $30,000 on Indiegogo. Its campaign launched last week and runs through April 20.
Kirschman is also president and CEO at X-spine Systems, another Dayton company that manufacturers instruments and implants for spine surgeries.
“I have never tried social media to drive a launch, but it is going well so far,” he said. “It’s the wave of the future.”
