Ondine Biomedical Inc (AIM:OBI) said independent research confirmed its Steriwave photodisinfection technology is highly effective against human clinical isolates of SARS-CoV-2.
A single dose of photodisinfection can destroy the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike and viral genome, reducing viral load to below detection limit within five minutes, the study found, Ondine said in a statement.
In addition, photodisinfection also inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in mammalian cell culture by 99.99%, inactivating the virus with minimal toxicity to the mammalian cells.
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The photodisinfection process works by the light exciting a photosensitive gel, causing an oxidative burst that rapidly destroys pathogens - bacteria, viruses, and fungi - by irreparably damaging their cell membranes and surface proteins. This process immediately stops when the light is removed.
The study, published in the Journal of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, was led by a team of researchers from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and was conducted at leading European research centre, the University of Coimbra Hospital Centre (CHUC).
"Our results show that photodisinfection with methylene blue is highly effective against in vitro isolates of SARS-CoV-2,” commented principal investigator and president of the International Photodynamic Association (IPA), Professor Luis Arnaut.
“The non-toxic nature of the treatment would also make it possible to provide safe, fast, and efficient nasal photodisinfection of COVID-19 patients. These strong results support the clinical trial work being conducted at the University of Navarra in Spain which is evaluating the efficacy of nasal photodisinfection to affect the disease progression of COVID-19."