Deactivating Indoor Allergens Associated with Childhood Asthma

描述（由申请人提供）：Carbonix LLC提出了一项关于其新工艺的I期研究计划，该工艺可减少与过敏和哮喘发作有关的室内过敏蛋白。常见的过敏蛋白质是由例如家庭尘螨和猫产生的。据推测，CarboNix过程将使蛋白质失活和/或溶解，最大限度地减少暴露并减轻过敏发作以及哮喘发作，这与室内过敏原密切相关。同时，这一过程将杀死尘螨，这是室内强效过敏原的主要来源。初步研究表明，该方法可以去除约70%的主要尘螨过敏原和80%以上的猫过敏原。 室内过敏原对人们生活、学习和工作的室内环境的退化有重要作用。超过5000万美国人患有过敏症，每年导致380万人失业或缺课。室内过敏原也与引发哮喘有关，哮喘是一种潜在的致命疾病，影响约3250万美国人，每年花费超过190亿美元。CarboNix的长期目标是为室内过敏原和哮喘是严重健康问题的个人和机构提供过敏缓解服务。第一阶段SBIR项目的完成将证明进一步将该工艺发展为过敏缓解业务的可行性，并将为后续第二阶段的进一步研究、设计和商业化活动提供科学和工程基础。 公共卫生相关性：第一阶段SBIR项目旨在开发一种减少或消除室内过敏原的方法，特别是由尘螨和猫产生的过敏原。超过5000万美国人患有过敏症，每年造成380万人失去工作或上学。室内过敏原也与引发哮喘有关，哮喘是一种潜在的致命疾病，影响约3250万美国人，每年花费超过190亿美元。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Carbonix LLC proposes a Phase I research program on its novel process that abates indoor allergenic proteins that are implicated in allergies and asthma attacks. Common allergenic proteins are produced, for example, by household dust mites and cats. It is hypothesized that the CarboNix process will deactivate and/or dissolve the proteins, minimizing exposure and mitigating allergy attacks as well as asthma attacks, which are strongly associated with indoor allergens. Simultaneously, the process will kill dust mites, a major source of potent indoor allergens. Preliminary studies have demonstrated that the process can remove approximately 70% of a major dust mite allergen and greater than 80% of cat allergen. Indoor allergens contribute significantly to the degradation of indoor environments where people live, learn, and work. More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, which are responsible for 3.8 million lost work or school days per year. Indoor allergens are also implicated in the triggering of asthma, a potentially fatal condition that affects about 32.5 million Americans and costs over $19 billion annually. The long-term goal of CarboNix is to provide allergy abatement services to individuals and institutions where indoor allergens and asthma are severe health issues. Completion of this Phase I SBIR project will demonstrate the feasibility of further developing this process into an allergy abatement business, and will provide the scientific and engineering basis for further research, design, and commercialization activities in a subsequent Phase II. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This Phase I SBIR project is aimed at developing a process that will reduce or eliminate indoor allergens, specifically those produced by dust mites and cats. More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, which are responsible for 3.8 million lost work or school days per year. Indoor allergens are also implicated in the triggering of asthma, a potentially fatal condition that affects about 32.5 million Americans and costs over $19 billion annually.