When protective masks were flying off shelves across the globe this year, the need for massive production was apparent. But so was the need to create adaptable technology.
A University of Guelph innovation which decontaminates fresh produce is now being used to sanitize N95 masks for health-care workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this year, Clēan Works (created to decontaminate produce), quickly responded to a national medical emergency and pivoted its focus to decontaminate N95 masks for safe use.
Keith Warriner, professor and food scientist who originally developed Clēan Works said for researchers, it is crucially important to be open minded about what their research can do and to find an application for it.
“All research is you do the research, and we hope people take notice. The reality is 99 per cent of the research we do goes nowhere apart from a journal, apart from a presentation. You've got to have that pull from the market,” said Warriner.
“I say to my students don't believe in everything you read or write, always look for opportunities to come out and you try and grab them.”
So that’s exactly what his student Mahdiyeh Hasani, a postdoctoral student at the department of food safety at U of G did. She helped redesign the decontamination unit originally designed for fresh produce which earned her a Mitacs & NRC-IRAP Award for Commercialization, awarded by Mitacs, an innovation organization that strives to solve business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.
Hasani said when the pandemic hit, she heard the federal government stressing the importance of technology that would increase the shelf life of N95 masks or allow people to re-use the masks.
“I was thinking okay, we have the technology and we know its effective for the contamination of fresh produce. It can disinfect the microbes effectively so I think maybe we could use this technology for helping different hospitals,” said Hasani.
And so she quickly changed her focus to meet the needs of the world suddenly in crisis, went to the lab every single day for three weeks to identify the operating parameters to decontaminate N95 masks.
Originally designed to quickly and effectively clean fresh produce, the technology, marketed by Beamsville, Ontario-based Clēan Works was successfully adapted by Hasani to sanitize N95 respirators.
The technology is a rapid waterless decontamination unit that generates anti-microbials by using a combination of natural UV light, hydrogen peroxide and ozone.
“I never imagined that this technology would advance this far, this quickly,” said Hasani.
“We adapted the technology so we can help people.”
This research was passed onto the Clēan Works team led by co-owners Mark VanderVeen and Paul Moyer. Hasani’s innovative work allowed the company to establish a new branch, called Clēan Works Medical, to sell the N95 mask and surgical mask decontamination units for health care organizations which are now Health Canada approved. They are also awaiting FDA approval in the US.
Mitacs says the technology very well may soon be a tool every home can use to sanitize household items against the coronavirus and other germs.
Warriner said being open minded about technology is key which makes Hasani’s innovation a perfect example especially because she is an engineer by trade who ended up using her curiosity and skills to meet a medical need.
“In my line of research, you just kind of say well, people think you’re crazy so why not just do it,” said Warriner.
As Clēan Works Medical expands, it will continue to partner with Hasani and the University of Guelph team of researchers to further develop the groundbreaking technology.
Hasani said the goal is to provide mini sanitization units to long-term care homes, day cares, hospitals, airports, retail businesses, schools and households.
Warriner said the home sanitization unit (which doesn’t have a name yet will definitely be ready to roll out next year. It has already been tested and worked on gowns, goggles, reusable grocery bags, phones, keyboards, toys, shoes and luggage.
“I think the pandemic will taper next year but what we’ll be left with is consumers and have a consciousness about infection control, about using sanitizers, about using the waters we use and the pesticides we apply,” said Warriner.
“People want devices where they can sterilize things on site.”
“We’re fortunate then in terms of having an industrial partner because with academics as you probably know, we discover things we invent things they go in a journal, we present them, we might put them on Twitter and that's as far as it goes,” said Warriner.
Hasani said as a researcher, her biggest dream was helping people.
“People remain extremely concerned about the spread of the virus and other germs,” said Hasani. She said she hopes to have the domestic version, based on LED technology ready for approval next year.
“This is a perfect example of how ideas in the lab can be transitioned to commercial processes and make a big difference in everyday life.”
