A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses

In COVID-19, fomite transmission has been shown to be a major route for the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 virus due to its ability to remain on surfaces for extended durations. Although glove wearing can mitigate the risk of viral transmission especially on high touch points, it is not prevalent due t...

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Main Authors: Tan, Justin Kok Soon, Song, Shang Wei, Zeng, Jialiu, Lo, Chih Hung
Other Authors: Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170436
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1704362023-09-17T15:37:30Z A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses Tan, Justin Kok Soon Song, Shang Wei Zeng, Jialiu Lo, Chih Hung Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) Science::Medicine Artificial Human Skin Polyurethane In COVID-19, fomite transmission has been shown to be a major route for the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 virus due to its ability to remain on surfaces for extended durations. Although glove wearing can mitigate the risk of viral transmission especially on high touch points, it is not prevalent due to concerns on diversion of frontline medical resources, cross-contamination, social stigma, as well as discomfort and skin reactions derived from prolonged wearing. In this study, we developed FlexiPalm, a hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment (PPE) against fomite transmission of viruses. FlexiPalm is a unique palmar-side hand protector designed to be skin-conforming and transparent, fabricated from medical-grade polyurethane transparent film material as a base substrate. It serves primarily as a barrier to microbial contamination like conventional gloves, but with augmented comfort and inconspicuousness to encourage a higher public adoption rate. Compared to conventional glove materials, FlexiPalm demonstrated enhanced mechanical durability and breathability, comparable hydrophobicity, and displayed a minimal adsorption of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and virus-like particles (VLP). Importantly, FlexiPalm was found to bind significantly less viral protein and VLP than artificial human skin, confirming its ability to reduce viral contamination. A pilot study involving participants completing activities of daily living showed a high level of comfort and task completion, illustrating the usability and functionality of FlexiPalm. Moreover, we have demonstrated that surface modification of FlexiPalm with microtextures enables further reduction in viral adsorption, thereby enhancing its functionality. An effective implementation of FlexiPalm will bolster PPE sustainability and lead to a paradigm shift in the global management of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in general. Nanyang Technological University Published version This study is supported by a NUS Resilience and Growth (R&G) Innovation Challenge Grant (RGIC-126) from the National University of Singapore. J.Z. is supported by a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship (Grant Award Number 021229-00001) and C.H.L. is supported by a Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Dean's Postdoctoral Fellowship (Grant Award Number 021207-00001) from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. 2023-09-12T04:21:17Z 2023-09-12T04:21:17Z 2023 Journal Article Tan, J. K. S., Song, S. W., Zeng, J. & Lo, C. H. (2023). A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses. Bioengineering and Translational Medicine, 8(5), e10411-. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10411 2380-6761 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170436 10.1002/btm2.10411 36248233 2-s2.0-85138997165 5 8 e10411 en RGIC-126 021229-00001 021207-00001 Bioengineering and Translational Medicine © 2022 The Authors. Bioengineering & Translational Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Science::Medicine
Artificial Human Skin
Polyurethane
spellingShingle Science::Medicine
Artificial Human Skin
Polyurethane
Tan, Justin Kok Soon
Song, Shang Wei
Zeng, Jialiu
Lo, Chih Hung
A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses
description In COVID-19, fomite transmission has been shown to be a major route for the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 virus due to its ability to remain on surfaces for extended durations. Although glove wearing can mitigate the risk of viral transmission especially on high touch points, it is not prevalent due to concerns on diversion of frontline medical resources, cross-contamination, social stigma, as well as discomfort and skin reactions derived from prolonged wearing. In this study, we developed FlexiPalm, a hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment (PPE) against fomite transmission of viruses. FlexiPalm is a unique palmar-side hand protector designed to be skin-conforming and transparent, fabricated from medical-grade polyurethane transparent film material as a base substrate. It serves primarily as a barrier to microbial contamination like conventional gloves, but with augmented comfort and inconspicuousness to encourage a higher public adoption rate. Compared to conventional glove materials, FlexiPalm demonstrated enhanced mechanical durability and breathability, comparable hydrophobicity, and displayed a minimal adsorption of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and virus-like particles (VLP). Importantly, FlexiPalm was found to bind significantly less viral protein and VLP than artificial human skin, confirming its ability to reduce viral contamination. A pilot study involving participants completing activities of daily living showed a high level of comfort and task completion, illustrating the usability and functionality of FlexiPalm. Moreover, we have demonstrated that surface modification of FlexiPalm with microtextures enables further reduction in viral adsorption, thereby enhancing its functionality. An effective implementation of FlexiPalm will bolster PPE sustainability and lead to a paradigm shift in the global management of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in general.
author2 Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
author_facet Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
Tan, Justin Kok Soon
Song, Shang Wei
Zeng, Jialiu
Lo, Chih Hung
format Article
author Tan, Justin Kok Soon
Song, Shang Wei
Zeng, Jialiu
Lo, Chih Hung
author_sort Tan, Justin Kok Soon
title A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses
title_short A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses
title_full A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses
title_fullStr A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses
title_full_unstemmed A hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses
title_sort hand-targeted auxiliary personal protective equipment for intervention of fomite transmission of viruses
publishDate 2023
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170436
_version_ 1779156773295357952