International materials technology specialist, Lucideon has collaborated with the King’s College London to develop a new infection control method to tackle problems associated with digital technology in hospitals.
Scientists at the company have worked alongside Dr Paul Royall and Avneet Uppal at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at King’s College London to develop an antimicrobial coating for portable communication devices.
The technology has been developed to cut the risk of cross infection from tablet devices and smart phones, which are increasingly being used by healthcare professionals in the workplace.
It provides a crack-free and transparent antimicrobial coating that offers excellent adhesion to the glass surface of handheld devices.
Lucideon’s Business Manager for Healthcare, Gemma Budd commented: “Often people don’t think about the cross infection issues of mobile devices, but it’s a cause of considerable concern.
“It’s a really exciting development, which could have a profound effect on the control and management of hospital-acquired infections.”
Budd added: “We are focused on solving the issue of increased infections and antibiotic resistance – and this project marks a significant step towards achieving that goal.
“The success of the project could mean the system can eventually be rolled out to many other applications, including medical implants; dental devices; surgical instruments, and packaging.”
The technology developed is based on Lucideon’s inorganic controlled release platform – the latest in a series of innovations from Lucideon within the healthcare market.
Headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, Lucideon is currently mid-way through a ground-breaking project, ReBioStent, which involves it co-ordinating an initiative to develop new biomaterials and arterial stents. The project is supported by more than €5m from the European Union.
Led by chief executive Tony Kinsella, the company is enjoying major growth and is on track to increase its workforce by more than 50% over the coming three years.
It also recently announced it is opening up a new facility at the world-renowned Cambridge Science Park, as well as a new facility in North Carolina to tap into the region’s acclaimed expertise in materials science, and have better access to US markets.
The new centre in the US is in addition to Lucideon’s facilities in South Carolina and New York State.
