Dual – action antiviral dyes to support the fight against COVID-19

Colorifix率先在各种类型的织物上生产、沉积和固定天然颜料，并在外部验证其对医院环境中常见病原体的抗菌性能。这些色素中的一些也已知具有抗病毒活性。利用这笔资助，我们的目标是生产下一代安全、可持续和有效的天然抗病毒染料，以支持抗击COVID-19\。Colorifix将与来自剑桥大学的两个领先研究小组合作，他们在病毒学、纳米材料和光触发化学方面拥有专业知识，这将有助于在抗病毒染料设计的利基领域建立新的研发平台，具有巨大的IP生成潜力。为了实现我们的目标，我们将确定最好的天然抗病毒色素候选物，然后利用我们在合成生物学方面的专业知识在安全的工业微生物中生产。抗病毒颜料将与先前由Colorifix开发并经过外部验证的抗菌染料相结合，以创建具有双重抗病毒/抗菌作用的独特颜料配方。我们的染料可永久附着于织物上，提供耐用、持久及安全（非沥滤）的抗COVID 19织物，并可有效中和导致呼吸系统疾病的其他常见病毒及细菌，而呼吸系统疾病是导致严重受影响的COVID患者人数增加的主要并发症因素。与其他表面配方不同，我们的抗病毒织物不以物理去除病毒为目标，而是通过在黑暗中和暴露于阳光或紫外线下的双重作用模式完全灭活病毒。因此，可以显著降低病毒的传播率。利用我们的专利技术，生产颜料的微生物将用于染色织物，应用范围从医疗保健（PPE）到一般服装，包装或公共交通部门。除了对预防感染的影响外，Colorifix的专利方法还通过显著减少制造过程中化学品和水的使用对环境产生了重大影响，这也影响了整体成本。我们将与外部学术和工业合作伙伴合作，验证新染料的抗病毒潜力，并确保它们符合安全标准。Colorifix与国际时尚品牌、米尔斯和染料厂有着密切的关系，包括通用汽车授权的欧洲生产基地，这意味着该产品可以迅速扩大规模，并整合到现有的制造链中，提供快速的市场途径。

Colorifix has pioneered the production, deposition and fixation of natural pigments on diverse types of fabrics and externally validated their antimicrobial properties against pathogens common in hospital settings. Some of these pigments are also known to possess antiviral activity. Using the support from this grant, we aim to produce the next-generation of safe, sustainable and effective natural antiviral dyes to support the fight against COVID-19\. Colorifix will team up with two leading research groups from the University of Cambridge, with expertise in virology, nanomaterials and photo triggered chemistry, which will help establish new R&D platforms in a niche area of antiviral dye design, with a significant potential for IP generation. To achieve our goals we will identify the best natural antiviral pigment candidates that will then be produced in a safe industrial microorganism using our expertise in synthetic biology. Antiviral pigments will be combined with antimicrobial dyes previously developed by Colorifix and externally validated to create a unique pigment formulation with dual antiviral/antimicrobial action. Our dyes are permanently bound to fabric, offering durable, long-lasting and safe (non-leaching) anti-COVID19 fabric, with potential effective neutralisation of other common viruses and bacteria responsible for respiratory conditions, a major comorbidity factor which contributes to the number of severely affected COVID patients. Unlike other surface formulations, our antiviral fabrics do not aim at the physical removal of the virus, but complete deactivation through dual mode of action both in dark and on exposure to sun or ultraviolet light. As a consequence, dramatic reduction of transmission rates of the virus can be achieved. Harnessing our patented technology, pigment-producing microorganisms will be used to dye fabrics with application from healthcare (PPE), to general clothing, packaging or public transport sectors. Besides the impact on infection prevention, Colorifix's patented approach has a substantial environmental impact by significantly reducing the use of chemicals and water in the manufacturing process, which also impacts the overall cost. We will collaborate with external academic and industrial partners to validate the antiviral potential of the new dyes and to ensure they meet safety standards. Colorifix has strong relationships with international fashion brands, mills and dye houses, including GM-licensed European production sites, which means the product can be scaled up quickly and integrated into existing manufacturing chains offering a rapid route to market.