From therapeutics to new drug delivery systems, nanotechnology can play an important role in fighting infectious diseases. A prime example is evident in the development of the COVID-19 vaccines. During the pandemic, Pfizer Inc. PFE, Moderna Inc. MRNA, Johnson & Johnson JNJ, AstraZeneca Plc. AZN and Sinopharm Group SHTDY leveraged nanotechnology to create each of their life-saving vaccines. This application of nanotechnology provides innovative solutions to drug development that improve immunogenicity and health outcomes. Nanotechnology can be used to deliver drugs more effectively, improving efficacy and reducing adverse reactions and side effects.
Despite its potential, few nanotechnology treatments, aside from vaccines, have received FDA approval for combating infectious diseases. This dearth of approved treatments raises concerns for society at large, considering the significant cause of morbidity and mortality inflicted by infectious diseases worldwide. Annually, about 60 million deaths globally are attributed to infectious diseases, stemming from the direct or indirect spread of bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi. Hospital environments particularly serve as a hotbed for the spread of infections, accounting for more than 98,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
More Needs To Be Done
While antimicrobials serve as the cornerstone in combating infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem, one the World Health Organization ranks in the top ten global public health threats. Left unchecked, by 2050, it is projected to claim the lives of ten million people annually. Nanomaterial-based therapies offer a promising avenue in addressing this issue, as their diminutive size enables them to be nano-drug carriers or engineered nanoparticles that infiltrate and/or attack microorganisms, disrupting their growth and viability.
When it comes to preventing infectious diseases, the current recommendation is frequent handwashing and diligent surface cleaning. Given that approximately 80% of infections are spread by touch, these measures are critical in curbing disease spread. However, this guidance may prove insufficient in effectively combating germ transmission on high-touch surfaces such as door handles and handrails. For starters, to kill the microbes on a door handle or railing, the surface has to remain wet with disinfectant the entire time. That means if you aren’t spraying the surface constantly with disinfectant, it won’t work. If you are using surface wipes, they too must remain wet to be effective. Not to mention, not all disinfectants may work on all surfaces. Washing hands frequently will keep them clean until they touch something, which is why that too isn’t enough.
FendX May Have An Answer
One area that has been receiving attention is the use of nanotechnology to develop films and sprays that protect high-touch surfaces prone to contamination, and one company at the forefront of that is FendX Technologies Inc. FDXTF. FendX’s patent-pending nanotechnology combines micro and nano-layers and thermal shrinking to create a film that repels bacteria, viruses, liquids and blood. When touched, the contamination essentially stays on the hand and doesn’t transfer to the surface. REPELWRAP film in development is anticipated to be applied to many different surfaces like push doors and handrails. FendX says a subsequent spray version that’s in the works will have the added benefit of killing the germs on contact.
To truly protect surfaces, the coatings and films have to repel the germs – preventing them from collecting on the surface, which is what REPELWRAP film is demonstrating in the lab. Inspired by water-resistant lotus leaves, the coating is textured with tiny wrinkles that are chemically treated to make water, blood and bacteria bounce off when they come into contact with the surface. As a result, when applied to a surface prone to contamination, pathogens can’t adhere to it. The coating is instantly effective, provides 24/7 protection, is self-cleaning and doesn’t promote bacterial resistance. Liquids like water and oil form droplets when they come into contact with REPELWRAP film.
What FendX says further sets REPELWRAP film apart is that it holds repelling properties under strain which means it can bend and conform into different form factors. It also maintains its repelling properties after being exposed to several physical and mechanical properties. FendX says the results of its technology have been impressive so far – according to FendX, 99% of surfaces remain free of COVID-19, there is a 98% reduction in colony formation of MRSA and E. coli and it also successfully repels blood.
It’s also a big market opportunity for FendX. By 2026, the antimicrobial surface technologies market is expected to reach $1.3 billion, according to Future Markets. Of the addressable market for FendX, medical and healthcare accounts for 38%, which is a key target market for FendX.
Nanotechnology holds a lot of promise to fight a leading cause of death – infectious disease – but you wouldn’t know it from the current state of development. While the technology has its moment fighting COVID-19, beyond that development has been slow. FendX is hoping to change that one surface at a time with its patent-pending nanotechnology.
Featured photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash.
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