Interview with Inov8 Science

Published on Monday, 19 April 2010 09:50

by Mark Stephens

Interview with Mark Stephens of The F10 Group and Adrian Gee-Turner of Inov8 Science

Mark Stephens recently met Adrian Turner from Inov8 Science and interviewed him about their amazing product, the AD device that claims to clean the air of nasty viruses and airborne germs, including C.Diff, MRSA and Swine Flu virus. As with most technological breakthroughs, the science behind it is simply genius and the potential genuinely amazing.....

Read the articles and watch their promotional video for a journey into science...

MS - Adrian, can you please summarise for us, who you are and what your role is in the company?

AT - My name is Adrian Gee Turner and I am the CMO at Inov8 Science. I was recently recruited by Inov8 through F10, to evaluate Market potential, identify channel sales opportunities and influence the future development of the product.

MS - Can you please introduce us all to the company Inov8?

AT - Inov8 is a small dynamic R&D company recently acquired by a VC to take the Air Disinfection product it has developed to market. Inov8 Science Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the AIM listed company, Mid-States PLC. Inov8 Science operates from their premises in Buckinghamshire, UK, that also houses a sophisticated manufacturing capability supporting the enterprise.

MS - Why is your product called the AD?

AT - Simply, because it is an Air Disinfection device which we have called the AD for short.

MS - The technology sounds very interesting. Can you describe the AD and what it does?

AT - The product is quite simply an Air Disinfection device that cleans the air of harmful bacteria and airborne germs such as C.diff, MRSA and Swine Flu viruses. It also eradicates smells in a very short period of time.

MS - You make that sound very matter of fact, but this is actually a massive scientific breakthrough, with life changing potential isn't it?

AT - Yes, it's an amazing product.

MS- So tell us about the technology and give us the technology rundown. What does it do etc?

AT - The Air Disinfection device uses self-generating hydroxyl radicals to clear the air of 99.999 % of pathogens in a given area such as an eight-desk office or bed ward. Hydroxyl radicals occur naturally in the open air, but cannot normally penetrate enclosed spaces. For decades ‘fresh air' from open windows made patients feel better and was perceived as a bit of an ‘old wives tale', but researchers at Porton Down in the 1960's discovered the natural properties of the open air and its true benefits to the health of human beings. And so here we are, many years later and this, unique disinfection property of the outside air, that was attributed to the presence of something called hydroxyl radicals, now forms the basis of the technology behind the new Air Disinfection devices. In scientific terms, the rate of destruction of pathogens is four log (99.99%) in twenty minutes and five log reduction in sixty minutes (99.999%).

MS - And why is this product so unique?

AT - There is no other product that can perform effective airborne cleansing in this way. Many other systems work by collecting the pathogens in a filter, which becomes more and more full, as they have the room air pulled through them trapping the pathogens. This sometimes means, that, as they become full of pathogens, some start to shed out the back side of the filter. Ideally, people want the pathogens destroyed and not collected, as they do not want to have to handle or clean a pathogen saturated device or filter, for obvious reasons.

MS - So what is the WOW factor for you then Adrian?

AT - This is quite evidently, a potentially life changing global product, that could become a common place item in almost every public and private enclosed space, such as hospitals, schools, public transport and even in the home and work place. By the very way the device works and mimics nature, it means that even as other pathogens develop this device destroys them. The higher the pathogen load the faster the overall pathogen reduction as the device converts pathogens into pathogen killing elements until reaching a negligible level. We call this process cascading.

MS - Who will this most effect? And what will the impact of this new technology be to society and to industry?

AT - We 3 believe that this product will significantly contribute to the eradication of C.Diff, MRSA and fatally transmitted bacteria in hospitals and dramatically reduce the number of sick days across industry, by preventing common and potentially serious ailments being transmitted between work colleagues within the work place. Apart from saving lives, this product will improve quality of life and potentially save Industry £billions in the reduction of lost work days.

MS- If that isn't already impressive enough, what do you think the future potential could be?

AT - Globally recognised product. Commonly found in any enclosed areas where people come together and may be at risk of transmitting bacteria and viruses.

MS - What stage in its development have you reached so far?

AT - We recently received high approval ratings from Sunderland City Hospital and 100% positive results from all field trials completed to date. These are now available on line at www.openairfactor.com.

MS - I am sure that people will want to know when we can expect to see this operational in every-day life. Where will we first see it?

AT - The product has already been operational within a number of industry sectors, as part of our field trials. Obviously the health care service is interested in this device and we hope to complete an evaluation by the Royal Free in support of the effectiveness of air disinfection as a route to reduce pathogens in the near future. The product is now with a major channel sales partner operating in the health and hygiene sectors and other routes into Education, Care homes, Business, transport etc are being explored with field trials underway.

MS - When can we buy it? How will it be packaged?

AT - The product is already available and the AD devise can either be purchased or taken on contract rental. The product runs on mains electricity, so you just take it home and plug it in.

MS - How can people find out more about this technology and subject? (Can you provide any articles/papers that we can link to, your weblink etc and links to articles about the technology and science)

AT - We would be very pleased if people were to visit our website or post any questions on this discussion forum and we will do our best to answer them. www.inov8.com

MS - Thank you Adrian, this has helped me to understand the product and what it does a lot better. I am sure that people will find it reassuring that this technology is already developed and is now being made available for public and commercial use. There is more information on your website and I also recommend that people watch your 5 minute video that was put together with your Chief Scientific Officer, which is well worth a look.

Click here to see the video...

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The views expressed by individuals in these discussion forums are the personal opinion of the individual and not reflective of the organisations with whom they work for..

Hi do you have a view of how many sickness days companies suffered last year and by contrast how your solution might reduce them? Therefore what" border="0" />
Also could you give me a sense of size/scale? How many "units" would I need per square foot or is the calculation more about the number of people.
Frankly it sounds like a no brainer!

Thanks
Owen

Ivan

Hello. I understand the technology but personally, am unconvinced that the benefits outweigh the potential health risks.

I have heard the hydroxyl radical referred to as the trposhperic "detergent" because of its reactive potential with many pollutants, sometimes acting as the first stage removal process. I also understand that it has an important role in eliminating certain greenhouse gasses, particularly methane and ozone but I also read somewhere that it can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen, a process that can enhance corrosion in certain industrial coolant systems.

In biological terms, my understanding is that even in vivo the hydroxyl radical has a very short half-life (approximately 10^-9 seconds) and is extremely reactivity, which makes it a very dangerous compound if introduced into a living organism (simple or complex), ergo, the reason for its effectiveness in these particular research settings. In humans, the hydroxyl radical cannot be eliminated by an enzymatic reaction, as this would require its diffusion to the enzyme's active site and as diffusion is slower than the half-life of the molecule, it will react with any oxidizable compound in its vicinity, which means that it can damage virtually all types of macromolecules including carbohydrates, nucleic acids (DNA), lipids, red blood cells and amino acids/proteins.

I’m not an expert but my understanding is that the only means of protection against hydroxyl radicals is the use of antioxidants and a well-developed immune system, so releasing them in large quantities into a densely populated human environment might not be the wisest action. Sorry to appear like an old sceptic but I’m sure the research is thorough and I’m on really dodgy ground!!

Keep up the good work.

Regards,

Ivan Roberts

Bernard

Given that free-radicals are implicated in carcinogenesis and ageing I would expect Innov8 to have commissioned long-term animal studies. Have these been done, are they still in progress or have there been no long-term exposure tests?

Joe

Hi,

Whatever solution it may be, this issue should be solved with great urgency. Airplanes, airconditioned trains, buses, buildings, cars, have internal circulation of air which has poor quality and and on the top of it, it contains lots of microbes and viruses causing infections. In my view it is a responsibility of the owner of such system to protect people who have no choice but to live in it. We are concerned with every bit of filth which is visible, but we are not concerned with micro-filth. This is really like middle ages. I can not understand why government legislation does not have more clear directives and standards affecting severely our quality of life. It should be dealed with long time ago! Maybe some court case winnings would be helpful
Abdullah

Has this new technology been specifically tested with Swine Flu?

I think, there should be clear information about this point regarding the worldwide panic about this virus.
If such a new machine really provides protection against it, this should be written in bold, and more details should added about thi

Abdel

The antimicrobial effectiveness of the AD product was tested against the MS2 Coliphage, an unenveloped single stranded RNA coliphage, 23 nm in diameter.

This coliphage is used to simulate the behaviour of viruses, It is an organism that is very similar to a virus, although a little tougher, but which can be grown in a bacterial culture - to produce large volumes of a virus itself is a complicated and drawn out process, which is why a surrogate was used. Guy
What sort of products might you see as being competitive, e.g. BioQuell's Clarus comes to mind, not as a competitor but more as part of an integrated battery of systems.

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owen