Coronavirus Breakthrough: Antiviral Mask Can Kill Sars-CoV-2 On Contact

Coronavirus Breakthrough: Antiviral Mask Can Kill Sars-CoV-2 On Contact
SHARE

The novel coronavirus has been torturing the entire world in 2020, and specialists are working to find effective treatments and a vaccine. But, for now, it’s been revealed that experts at the University of Kentucky are working on developing a face mask that could kill the coronavirus on contact. 

Dibakar Bhattacharyya is a chemical engineering professor and also the director of the university’s Center of Membrane Sciences – he recently said that he just came up with an idea for a mask that would “capture and deactivate” SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The expert managed to sure a $150k grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in order to develop the masks. He will be the main investigator on the research team, and he said that he’d be needing about six months to create the finished and tested membrane mask, according to the latest reports coming from News Week.

You can check out the video below in order to find out some exciting details.

YouTube video

A coronavirus-killing mask 

The work would be facilitated through a large-scale membrane manufacturer and the expert continued and explains that the masks will be featuring enzymes that will attach to the protein spikes on the coronavirus and it will separate them – long story short, it will be able to kill the virus. 

“The novel coronavirus is covered in club-shaped ‘s-protein’ spikes, which give it its crownlike, or coronal, appearance,” he said.

The expert continued and explained that “The protein spikes are also what allows the virus to enter host cells once in the body. This new membrane will include proteolytic enzymes that will attach to the protein spikes of the coronavirus and separate them, killing the virus.”

He also pointed out the fact that by capturing these particles, the mask will basically be able to reduce the number of particles floating around – this means a diminished risk of infection for others as well! 


SHARE
Rada Mateescu

Passionate about freedom, truth, humanity, and subjects from the science and health-related areas, Rada has been blogging for about ten years, and at Health Thoroughfare, she's covering the latest news on these niches.

Post Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.