Vancouver, Canada, July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
- Ondine’s photodisinfection technology platform uses light-activated drugs to destroy target pathogens painlessly and without building-up resistance.
- Steriwave™ photodisinfection therapy has proven capable of eradicating SARS-CoV-2 virus in single, short treatment.
Canadian medical technology innovator, Ondine Biomedical, will be presenting results from a successful in vitro study of its pioneering Steriwave™ upper airway disinfection technology against SARS-CoV-2 at the International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC) in Geneva, on 15th September 2021. The presentation will focus on results demonstrating that this patented photodisinfection therapy can rapidly destroy the RNA genome of SARS-CoV-2.
The nose and upper airway have been identified as ideal breeding grounds and reservoirs for many threatening pathogens including MRSA, Candida auris, and SARS-Cov-2. Ondine’s Steriwave™ photodisinfection therapy can rapidly and painlessly eradicate pathogens in the nose and upper airway, helping to eliminate a leading source of infection and transmissions.
The Steriwave™ therapy is carried out by a trained healthcare professional, and is painless, easy to use, and minimally invasive. The patented technology platform is a two-step process involving the application of a laser light-activated agent, and laser light inside the nostril. Following the application of the agent to each nostril, laser light cones are inserted into the nose and activated for two, two-minute photodisinfection treatments.
The photodisinfection process works by using a specific wavelength of laser light to excite the agents inside the nose, causing oxidative disruption, which rapidly destroys target pathogenic microorganisms. A key benefit of this approach is that pathogens cannot develop a resistance to the treatment.
Steriwave™, also known as photodynamic disinfection therapy (aPDT), has been shown to be safe and effective against drug-resistant bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and has been used in Canadian hospitals for ten years in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections. Previous studies have demonstrated that use of Steriwave™ nasal decolonization can substantially reduce the number of surgical site infections, as well as generating substantial pharmacoeconomic savings from reduced readmission rates and shorter hospital stays.
Dr. Nicolas Loebel, Ondine Biomedical’s President and Chief Technology Officer, will be presenting the study results as both an oral and poster presentation at the ICPIC Innovation Academy. He commented, “In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we tested our pioneering photodisinfection-based approach to upper airway disinfection against SARS-CoV-2. Our laboratory results demonstrated that the virus was just as susceptible as any of the common pathogens we treat on a daily basis in Canadian hospital patients.”
He continued, “We believe that early deployment of a broad-spectrum, safe, upper-airway disinfection modality may reduce transmission of the virus to others, and perhaps extend the time window for susceptible patients to develop adaptive immune responses critical to slowing development of COVID-19. Upper airway antiviral disinfection may, in time, become a standard of care comparable for example to handwashing but directed to the nose and throat.”
The Steriwave™ technology already has a CE mark and is approved in Canada, Europe and a number of other countries. In the US it is presently going through clinical trials for regulatory approval.
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About Photodisinfection
Ondine’s Photodisinfection technology provides a powerful new alternative in the fight against drug-resistant infections. This patented, light-activated antimicrobial kills a broad spectrum of drug-resistant bacteria, viruses, and fungi, including those in biofilms, in minutes and reduces inflammation.
Photodisinfection, or antimicrobial Photodynamic Disinfection Therapy (aPDT), was invented by UCL Professor Michael Wilson in the late 1980’s for oral infections. Photodisinfection kills pathogens through oxidative disruption with minimal impact on human epithelial tissue, or mucosa. Pathogens are unable to resist or adapt to this treatment because it rapidly destroys their rRNA genome. This pain-free, minimally invasive and easy-to-use therapy results in high patient compliance.
About Ondine Biomedical Inc.
Ondine Biomedical Inc. is a Canadian headquartered, medical device company led by Founder and CEO, Carolyn Cross, which has developed a patented, painless, photodisinfection technology platform which can be used in the development of treatment and prevention therapies for a broad-spectrum of pathogens - bacterial, viral and fungal infections - including multidrug-resistant strains.
In addition to Steriwave for nasal disinfection, other applications of the photodisinfection platform are under development, including treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, burns and wounds, disinfection of endotracheal tubes to reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia and most recently, the development of topical antiviral therapy for the upper respiratory tract to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
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