As reports warn of a devastating new global pandemic, Medi-Immune’s groundbreaking technology could save millions. Find out how John Willcocks and his colleagues have created a solution to a worldwide problem.
According to the World Health Organisation, it’s only a matter of time before a new airborne pandemic sweeps the planet. We don’t know how or when it will hit, but a new report has warned that governments all around the world should be prepared. The report mentions a “very real threat” of a deadly pathogen with the power to kill up to 80 million people as it spreads throughout earth, obliterating 5% of the global economy in the process.
Between 2011 and 2018 the World Health Organisation dealt with 1,483 deadly bugs that have killed people and animals across the globe, and the risks are increasing every day. Climate change is a major factor, with heat and humidity creating perfect conditions for airborne diseases and toxic fungi to spread. And while birds change their migratory patterns in response to bad weather, small but deadly bugs travel with them, adding to what is already a global crisis.
Despite the warnings, the world is still not ready for what could be the most devastating pandemic of all time. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board has outlined seven urgent directives that should be implemented around the world, but many governments are failing to take the required steps.
This is not a new experience for the GPMB; they had already warned world leaders about major pandemics including avian flu, ebola and HIV/AIDS. While wealthier nations have historically been more able to implement the required changes and bounce back, poorer nations are at risk of losing huge amounts of their GDP when the next disease strikes.
One organisation on a mission to save the world from airborne infections is UK based research and development company Medi-Immune. Formed in 2008, the company is at the forefront of developing groundbreaking technology that combats airborne pathogens in real time, providing a unique solution to a deadly problem.
Medi-Immune’s primary focus is to provide immediate protection against all airborne pathogens whilst providing first class respiratory protection, saving money and lives.Having invented, developed and tested its new technology, the firm has unveiled its new lifesaving device, ProtectivAir®.
Respiratory technology has remained relatively stagnant in recent years, but ProtectivAir® represents a significant paradigm shift in the field of immunology and pathogen protection. Not only does it provide non-infective air delivered via a personal wearable device, the technology can also be integrated into existing close environments to protect multiple people at once.
The brainchild of three of Medi-Immune’s directors – James Love, John Maudsley and John James – ProtectivAir® uses ultraviolet C shortwave germicidal radiation to sterilise any inhaled airborne pathogens. The air passes through a compact, wearable sterilising chamber where the UVc photons intercept the pathogens and disable their ability to reproduce. Though the use of UVc is well known,the Medi-Immune team’s clever engineering has enabled ProtectivAir® to effect a ten billion times reduction in viable influenza particles at normal breathing rates.
Because ProtectivAir® uses no filters, the risk of leakage around the mask is eliminated, meaning only disabled airborne pathogens can be delivered directly to the respiratory tract of the wearer. The disabled pathogens cause the body to initiate an immune response, delivering both immediate and long-term protection.
During in vitro performance testing carried out at Public Health England in Porton Down, performance matched with predicted results. Medi-Immune was then able to progress to in vivo trials to demonstrate the device’s ability to deliver superior protection from airborne pathogens, compared to existing filtered systems. These trials also confirmed that an immune response was initiated, proving the unique effectiveness of the ProtectivAir® technology and representing a massive and radical shift in the field of immunology and airborne diseases.
Another exciting development has seen ProtectivAir® being remodelled and tested within a cabin environment to help prevent transmission of airborne infections by travel. Initially piloted in automobiles, Medi-Immune plans to adapt the technology to help protect against diseases that travel internationally on aircraft.
John Willcocks explained “Essentially, we have created new and innovative technology that can protect everyone from known and unseen emerging threats. By inventing wearable technology that offers both immediate and long-term protection against new and existing airborne pathogens, we are changing the way science looks at immunisation and airborne viral protection.”
Medi-Immune and ProtectivAir® also promise to be instrumental in supplementing and complementing existing vaccine developments for the foreseeable future. The in vivo trials led to the discovery of an exciting means of low dose vaccination, which is the subject of a new patent. As the debate around vaccinations continues to gain momentum, this new development could also be a real game-changer.
For further information about Medi-Immune visit www.medi-immune.com or contact John Willcocks at johnwillcocks@medi-immune.com
