Preparation and evaluation of the biological activity of antiviral agents based on copper and silver oxides used in personal protective equipment against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

NanoBrand Inc.生产新型纳米材料，作为传统抗菌药物的一种具有成本效益的替代品，具有巨大的商业化潜力，为对抗微生物、孢子和病毒提供解决方案，包括新发现的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2 （SARS-CoV-2）。他们已经获得了加拿大卫生部颁发的伤口护理、皮肤护理、表面处理和兽医疾病治疗的许可证。Tekna Inc.是加拿大著名的铜纳米颗粒和合金供应商，用于各种应用，包括抗病毒材料。他们使用电感耦合等离子体（ICP）技术生产了各种各样的纳米颗粒，具有良好控制的形态和性质（大小和纯度），以满足不同领域的相关要求，包括各种医学领域和靶向癌症治疗的要求。这两家公司希望通过绿色技术开发新型纳米材料，用于有效对抗包括SARS-CoV-19在内的包膜病毒。在2019冠状病毒病大流行的背景下，一个由化学家、聚合物科学家、生物学家（IRSST、UQTR和UQAC）、基于纳米颗粒的抗菌和抗病毒药物专家（NanoBrand Inc.、Tekna Inc.）和创新纺织工程师(trois - rivi<e:1>的Innofibre、CTT集团（saint - hyacsson）提出了一个基于纳米技术的抗菌剂制备和快速评估生物活性的项目，用于处理用于PPE（口罩、医疗服等）的棉花和棉/聚酯表面，以对抗SARS-CoV-2。该项目将提供抗菌和抗病毒解决方案，这些解决方案可以转移到工作场所的应用程序中，以对抗短期生物风险。

NanoBrand Inc. manufactures new nanomaterials as a cost-effective alternative to traditional antibacterial with a great commercialization potential providing solutions in the fight against microorganisms, spores and viruses including newly discovered Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They already have licenses from Health Canada for wound care, skincare, surface treatment and veterinary disease treatment. Tekna Inc. is a well-known major supplier of copper nanoparticles and alloys in Canada for various applications including antiviral materials. They have used inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technology to produce a wide variety of nanoparticles with well-controlled morphology and properties (sizes and purity) to meet different field related requirements including those for various medical fields and targeted cancer treatments. These two companies wished to develop new nanomaterials by green technology which can be used as efficient antiviral materials against enveloped viruses including SARS-CoV-19. In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, a multidiscipline research team composed of chemists, polymer scientists, biologists (IRSST, UQTR, and UQAC), specialists in nanoparticles-based antibacterial and antiviral agents (NanoBrand Inc., Tekna Inc.) and innovative textile engineers (Innofibre in Trois-Rivières, CTT Group in Saint-Hyacinthe) proposes a project regarding the preparation and rapid evaluation of the biological activity of antimicrobial agents based on nanotechnology to treat cotton and cotton/polyester surfaces used for PPE (masks, medical suits, etc.) against SARS-CoV-2. This project will be carried out to offer antibacterial and antiviral solutions that can be transferred to an application for workplaces in the fight against short-term biological risks.