Catalysed to action by global fight against coronavirus, HeiQ has launched Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral & antimicrobial textile treatment which is proven effective against human coronavirus (229E) in face mask testing significantly enhancing antiviral log reduction from 2.90 of untreated face masks to 4.48, over 99.99 per cent reduction of virus infectivity.
“Virologist Dr. Thierry Pelet of HeiQ’s scientific advisory board brought us a profound depth of knowledge and accelerated our efforts to address the urgent problem of a global pandemic,” said Carlo Centonze, HeiQ group CEO. “Our goal is to prevent textiles from becoming a host surface for propagating harmful viruses and bacteria and contribute to reduce the risk and speed of contamination and transmission.”
According to the World Health Organisation, the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days. Social distancing and wearing a mask are common measures that people in countries like South Korea and Taiwan take to avoid spreading the virus. Chinese protective masks producer Suzhou Bolisi is the lead adopter of HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03. Treated masks will be available on the market as early as this April. American legwear manufacturer Kayser-Roth is planning to add the technology to their new product, Ghluv hands protector, while Lufeng from China is evaluating the technology on other types of fabric used for garments.
“I’m impressed by HeiQ’s ability to fast track such a complex innovation and bring this breakthrough to globally critical products in short time,” said Dr. Pelet.
“HeiQ strives to help improve the lives of people through bringing breakthrough innovations to textiles. We have pushed hard to bring the HeiQ Viroblock technology to reality to assist at this time of urgent need for society around the world,” added Centonze.
HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is a unique combination of vesicle and silver technologies designed to inhibit the growth and persistence of bacteria and viruses. The HeiQ vesicle technology targets lipid enveloped viruses, such as coronavirus, providing rapid virus deactivation, while the HeiQ silver technology inhibits the replication of both bacteria and viruses.
HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 can be applied to a wide spectrum of textile surfaces including face masks, air filters, medical gowns, curtains, drapes and more. HeiQ also has a range of highly wash-durable antimicrobial and odour control textile technologies, called HeiQ Pure, combining silver-based and bio-based materials for all fabric types.
Both 229E and Covid-19 are two of seven types of human coronaviruses. Besides testing on human coronavirus (229E), HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 also demonstrates dramatically improved reduction of virus infectivity against Influenza types H1N1, H5N1, H7N9, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
Founded in 2005 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), HeiQ is a leader in textile innovation creating some of the most effective, durable and high-performance textile technologies on the market today.
HeiQ’s purpose is to improve the lives of billions of people by perfecting an everyday product: textiles. Combining three areas of expertise – scientific research, specialty materials manufacturing and consumer ingredient branding – HeiQ is the ideal innovation partner to create differentiating and sustainable textile products and capture the added value at the point of sale.
HeiQ is the winner of the Swiss Technology award and Swiss Environmental award.
