IIT Delhi startup develops coating for textiles for protection against Hospital-Acquired Infections

New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) A start up incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has developed an antimicrobial solution that when applied as a coating on textiles, provides long-lasting protection against hospital acquired infections.

Coating the "Viroclog" developed by the start up called "Medicfibers" on textiles lowers the surface energy, prevents adhesion of microbes and destroys the membrane integrity of microbes. "Destruction of lipid-based membrane barrier makes the microbes inactive, thus preventing infection transmission. 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," said Sachin Kumar, mentor to the startup and a faculty member at the Centre of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Delhi. "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," he added.

According to Vikram Saini, Medical Advisor to the startup and a faculty member at AIIMS, hospital-acquired microbial infections are a major problem not only in India but globally.

"During the 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. Medicfibers have performed significant work in this direction to provide affordable clothing solutions," he said. PTI GJS RCJ