As COVID-19 continues to infect individuals around the world, various personal protective equipment (PPE) are being used by medical professionals to avoid contacting the coronavirus. However, the current PPEs aren't a hundred percent full proof. As many healthcare workers have experienced, one can still be infected even while wearing a mask and PPE. But that may soon change.
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According to a report from Newsweek, experts have developed a new antiviral face mask that could potentially kill the coronavirus on contact. However, it was clarified that the face mask designed by the researchers at the University of Kentucky is still at the development level.
The idea came from Dibakar Bhattacharyya, a chemical engineer professor and the director of the university's Center of Membrane Sciences. According to the professor, the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19 can be "captured and deactivated" by the new antiviral face mask.
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The university said that a $150,000 grant provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) was secured by Bhattacharyya for the development of the new face masks. Bhattacharyya will serve as the principal investigator on the research team. He stated that it would take about 6 months to develop and test the membrane mask before it is proven effective enough to kill COVID-19.
A new antiviral facemask could kill COVID-19; Protein spikes could be separated by Proteolytic Enzymes from the coronavirus, killing it
The university clarified that a large-scale manufacturer would facilitate the work, designing and testing the new antiviral face mask.
Bhattacharyya explained that the masks will contain enzymes that will attach itself to the protein spikes and separate them from the novel coronavirus, thus potentially killing COVID-19.
"The novel coronavirus is covered in club-shaped 's-protein' spikes, which give it its crownlike, or coronal, appearance," explained Bhattacharyya.
He reiterated that the face mask will feature proteolytic enzymes that have the ability to attach itself to the protein spikes that allow the virus to penetrate the host cells once it enters the body. The enzymes separating from the virus's cell, killing it in the process.
It was also explained that the new membrane mask would reduce the number of virus particles circulating in the air that could infect other individuals in the vicinity by capturing COVID-19 on its surface.
The researches clarified that they have the capability to develop a membrane that would not only properly filter out the COVID-19 particles like the N95 mask does, but also deactivate the novel coronavirus completely.
Bhattacharyya claimed that the new innovation could protect against a number of human pathogenic viruses by slowing down and preventing the spreading of the virus. People would be able to breathe easily through the mask since it would be very thin. It can also change color when COVID-19 or other viruses are detected on it.
