Ancile: novel antibacterial and antiviral coating

Each year, antibiotic-resistant bacteria kill over 1 million people; by 2050, this toll is expected by the World Health Organization to reach a shocking 10 million annual deaths. Apart from the enormous social and humane impact, the damage to the economy will far exceed that caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Various surfaces in public spaces are dangerous reservoirs for bacterial and viral infections. For example, the Covid-19 viral particles survive on plastic surfaces or even stainless steel for up to three days, while E. coli and S. aureus bacteria dwell on such surfaces for up to several months. All these pathogens can be killed by simple alcohol disinfection; however, alcohol can stay on a surface for only a few seconds; therefore, it should be applied thoroughly. At the same time, according to the Swissmedic report, cleaning and disinfection processes are not followed in 53% of Swiss hospitals. What if we could turn every public place surface pathogens use as a means of transmission among people into a weapon against microbes and viruses? Three potential ways to achieve this goal can be envisioned.The first is to change the texture of the public surfaces. Special coatings with micro- or nanoscale protrusions are known to kill bacteria and inactivate viruses. An example can be found in nature: nano-textured surfaces of cicada wings are bactericidal, and millions of years of evolution have not been sufficient for the microbes to develop resistance to this mechanism6. Why not use this principle in human public health?The second approach is to deposit nanoparticles of some metals, such as silver or copper. Again, bacteria and viruses show no signs of developing resistance to such protection. And the third approach is to use antimicrobial peptides. Can these mechanisms be used on public surfaces?Moreover, why not combine the nano-texturing mechanism with metallization and/or antimicrobial peptide applications to ensure maximal and universal antibacterial and antiviral efficiency, secured from the possibility of resistance development?This is the essence of our project. Stemming from our discovery of the bioinspired self-assembly mechanism of nano-textured coatings, we have further learned how to load anti-infective metal ions into the textures. The formulations we develop aim at single-step spraying or brushing with the patented mixture of proteins and fatty acids. Low-cost production should permit efficient covering of various surfaces with durable, non-irritant, yet strongly bactericidal and antiviral functionalities. Such public surfaces as medical facilities and laboratories, public vehicles, hotels and shops, food-packaging areas and restaurants, air ducts and air ventilation systems, schools and childcare facilities, surfaces in animal farms, etc. - can all be treated with our sprays to turn what used to be reservoirs for pathogen propagation into a weapon against these pathogens. A significant change in the public health paradigms may emerge from this work.