Top US Scientists First To Report Data On New Biodefense Technology Proven To Eliminate Airborne Transmission Of SARS-CoV-2 To Control Spread Of COVID-19 Indoors

HOUSTON, July 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As evidence showing a real risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus responsible for COVID-19) continues to mount, Integrated Viral Protection (IVP) announced today the publication of a peer-reviewed paper detailing a novel biodefense indoor air protection technology. 

The novel, heated HVAC filter has been proven to destroy 99.8% of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.  In addition, this technology offers protection against other biological pathogens on contact using a propriety biodefense technology. The breakthrough studies were conducted at the Texas Center for Superconductivity at University of Houston (TcSUH) & Galveston National Laboratory, the nation's premier facility for biodefense research. 

The first of its kind results confirmed this breakthrough technology to be 99.8% effective at killing the SARS-CoV-2 and 99.9% effective at killing anthrax spores in a single pass, making this technology protective against other potentially dangerous bio pathogens. The scientific research behind this biodefense indoor air protection technology was published today in the highly respected, multi-disciplinary journal Materials Today Physics.

The results are independently endorsed by premier researchers including Professor Gang Chen at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): "Timely work with significant real world implications;" Professor George Crabtree, Director of JCESR at Argonne National Laboratory: "…will effectively serve as a mask for indoor ventilation," and Professor Paul Chu Founding Director at the Texas Center for Superconductivity at University of Houston (Father of Superconductivity, Nobel Prize Nominee and National Medal of Science Awardee): "…as a much needed single hope in this long depressing pandemic." 

The research team is led by Dr. Zhifeng Ren, Director, Texas Center for Superconductivity at University of Houston and Dr. Luo Yu, along with Dr. Faisal Cheema at University of Houston College of Medicine under the leadership of Dean Steve Spann, Vice Chancellor and Vice President of Research and Technology Transfer, Dr. Amr Elnashai and Chancellor and President Renu Khator, Dr. Slobodan Paessler, Distinguished Chair of Biodefense at Galveston National Laboratory and colleagues including Dr. Johnny Peterson and Dr. William Lawrence, Texas A&M University, Vice Chancellor of Engineering and National Laboratories, Dr. Kathy Banks, Associate Dean for Research, The Texas A&M Experiment Engineering Station, Dr. Joe Elabd and Director, NanoBio Systems Laboratory, Dr. Arum Han and John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System.  

Replicative studies on the biodefense filter system recently validated original findings from the Galveston National Laboratory, this time with the addition of non-ozone producing UVC-light.  Even though a 270-fold higher concentration of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) was used in these experiments, the biosampler was unable to detect any active virus, proving an enhanced first pass kill of 99.999% by this novel biodefense filter.

"We now know that SARS-CoV-2 is an airborne pathogen, capable of traveling through the air at greater distances than first thought. The virus can survive for hours, suspended in the air, resulting in COVID-19 spread through the air we breathe, necessitating the urgent need for an indoor air protection system," says Dr. Faisal Cheema, Associate Professor of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at University of Houston College of Medicine. According to Dr. Cheema, "This novel biodefense indoor air protection technology – endorsed by leading national and international scientists including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Argonne National Laboratory amongst others – offers the first in line prevention against environmentally mediated transmission of airborne SARS-CoV-2 and will be on the forefront of the armamentarium of technologies available to combat current COVID-19 pandemic and any future airborne biothreats indoors."

"This breakthrough biodefense indoor air protection technology uses targeted highly porous, folded nickel-foam with high enough resistance encased in a fire-retardant frame," says the lead physicist on the project, Professor Zhifeng Ren, Director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH). "The nickel-foam is heated to temperatures proven sufficient to instantly kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus on contact in the recirculating air without significantly heating the ambient air.  The nickel-foam is combined with HEPA filters and UV-C light to form a fortified biodefense indoor air protection system that captures and kills the virus instantaneously."

"This invention is a safe and effective game-changer to reduce airborne transmission indoors.  The new biodefense technology has an instantaneous direct kill of actual SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) that when deployed to schools and other high risk hot spots will work actively to help contain and extinguish COVID-19 in the circulating air," says co-lead researcher Garrett K. Peel, MD, MHS, FACS.

"These studies are the first in which actual SARS-CoV-2 was aerosolized at the Galveston National Laboratory. Given its effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 and spores, this technology offers hope for biodefense against any airborne pathogens to mitigate influenza and other future pandemics," said Professor Slobodan Paessler, Distinguished Chairman of Biodefense and Director of Galveston National Laboratory Pre-Clinical Studies Core.

The product offers a simple plug-and-play for both residential and commercial buildings. The family of products includes stand-alone units of various sizes or retrofitting installation kits for existing HVACs – all of which augment current air conditioning systems that recirculate air by purifying and disinfecting indoor environments through this breakthrough technology.  The biodefense filter does not disturb air flow or produce harmful ozone.  Mobile, venue and room units can be quickly deployed in areas such as schools, nursing homes, healthcare facilities, planes and other mass transit, retail areas, places of worship, arenas and concert venues to mitigate indoor airborne transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus). HVAC retrofitting will offer a more permanent solution to indoor and transportation environments as a defense to future biological threats.

The patent-pending air biodefense filtration system is FDA Compliant to Enforcement Policy for Sterilizers, Disinfectant Devices and Air Purifiers During the Coronavirus Disease - 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency | 21 CFR 880.5045 Medical Recirculation Air Cleaner and 21 CFR 880.6500 Medical UV Air Purifier | Class II Device) and therefore permitted by the FDA to be sold during the Coronavirus disease.
For more information on IVP, please visit IVPair.com.

ABOUT INTEGRATED VIRAL PROTECTION (IVP)
Integrated Viral Protection (IVP) is a technology solutions company that specializes in the design of biodefense indoor air protection systems, such as its recently tested product shown to be 99.8% effective at killing the COVID-19 virus.  The patent-pending technology is currently in compliance with FDA's Enforcement Policy for Sterilizers, Disinfectant Devices and Air Purifiers During the Coronavirus Disease - 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency and the data from scientific peer reviewed publication show significant promise for reducing the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the air, safeguarding people against the dangerous, life-threatening pathogen.  IVP has formed a public/private partnership with a team of scientists, engineers, and virologists and has collaborated to develop a promising biodefense indoor air protection system that combats COVID-19 in commercial, transportation, residential and personal environments.

Media Contacts:
Shannon Lynch
Edelman for IVP
[email protected] 
(972) 757-7223

SOURCE Integrated Viral Protection