Fridotech

Fridotech utilises a patented Far UV-C lighting unit to reduce aerosolised and surface bacteria and viral microbes in real time. This enables us to effectively clean the air and surfaces of infectious agents and render a populated space safe. The light source is safe to human skin and eyes. 

Michael Urdang - Chief Medical Officer

Multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria and aerosolised viral transmission is the cause of significant worldwide morbidity and mortality.  

The CDC states that annual flu infections are between 10 - 40 million cases per year, resulting in 5-50,000 deaths per year in the US alone. When you consider the worldwide burden of seasonal viral illness and infection by MDR microbes then the potential number of people impacted by this solution is in the billions.

Current attempts to reduce transmission through active means such as pharmaceutical intervention, fomite cleaning, mask wearing and air filtration are largely ineffectual in the real time prevention of person to person infection due to the nature of transmission of infectious microbes (aerosolised, fomite touching etc) and human behaviour. In addition proven methods such as vaccines administration have a low uptake.

With this passive solution we implement a modern technology that is safe to humans and devastating to microbes. Our patented lighting unit reduces airborne bacteria and viral load by over 90% in minutes and makes public occupied spaces effectively safe.

Our target audience is very broad. However, we have initially narrowed to this that we understand to be most in need. We are working to reduce infection to people who operate within high risk public spaces. Initially we envisage working in the following areas:

Schools - Reduce seasonal airborne virus illness

Refugee encampment - Vulnerable populations with poor sanitation

Prison population - confined overcrowded spaces with vulnerable population

Then as a next stage we can look towards extending the use case to all public spaces which include, but are not limited to; public transport, entertainment spaces, restaurants and mass transport systems. 

We are engaging with leaders within the fields to understand their needs and then look to include this within our solution. We will work hand in hand to support end users with implementing and explaining the science and safety of this system. 

Dramatic reduction of infectious aerosolised viral particles and bacteria in public spaces will provide huge benefit to the public good. In addition, this is a benefit with moderate financial cost and no negative health effects to humans.

With regards to MDR - The study by Eadie et al. (Eadie, E., Hiwar, W., Fletcher, L. et al. Far-UVC (222 nm) efficiently inactivates

an airborne pathogen in a room-sized chamber. Sci Rep 12, 4373 (2022)) shows how effective this system is against aerosolised MRSA. At the moment 15% of USA healthcare can be asoicated with nosocomial infections and this will reduce them significantly.

If we then pivot with a public good in mind, and address aerosolised viral infectious agents, we reduce significantly the amount of flu, covid in real time.

We alos, believe that when it comes to the next pandemic we will be ahead of it with this technology.

All of this helps the public good.

The public in its entirety is our target. However, it is clear that within this there are particular groups that would benefit more. These groups would include:

1. High density populations such as refugee, prison, nursing homes and schools.

2. Vaccine hesitant, as aerosolised viruses such as Measles and Covid would be protected.

3. Individuals with high exposure risk. Such as health care workers would be passively protected.

4. Immune suppressed individuals. For example, dialysis units and oncology units/waiting rooms.

We will scale our impact through an aggressive growth strategy to deploy this effective and safe system through multiple different arenas.

We have identified healthcare settings, the shipping industry and schooling systems as our primary targets for deployment. Our supply chain is secure and robust with a lead time of 6 weeks to produce units in the thousands.

We have not yet installed any units within real life settings. However, our tests have replicated the fluence identified within the literature. This is level of fluence is within international regulatory limit for UV light and shows dramatic reduction in aerosolised viral particels and aerosolised MRSA.

1.Buonanno M, Welch D, Shuryak I, Brenner DJ. Far-UVC light (222 nm)

efficiently and safely inactivates airborne human coronaviruses. Sci Rep. 2020 Jun 24;10(1):10285.

2.Welch, D., Buonanno, M., Grilj, V. et al. Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases. Sci Rep 8, 2752 (2018).

3.Eadie, E., Hiwar, W., Fletcher, L. et al. Far-UVC (222 nm) efficiently inactivatesan airborne pathogen in a room-sized chamber. Sci Rep 12, 4373 (2022)

4.The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection,

Guidelines on limits of exposure to ultraviolet radiation of wavelengths between 180 nm and 400 nm (incoherent optical radiation). Health Phys, 87(2), p. 171–186 (2004).

Following barriers have been identified:

1. Cultural/Educative - There is a great amount of fear and hesitancy around the use of Far UV light due to public health campaigns around the harmful effects of UV-B. As a result procurement of this solution is hindered by institutional bias. Articles such as that published in VOX are helpful and the dissemination of information that Far UV lighth at 222nm is completely safe to humans but devastating bacteria and viruses. Including drug resistant bactera.

2. Financial - We will face challenges acquiring customers in the current climate. Most large institutions already purchased sanitary systems to attempt to address challenges raised by the recent pandemic. Whilst we believe that our system is superior both in the prevention and sanitation of public spaces when compared to all other systems, In many cases the budget has already been spent.

We believe that this is a novel approach to multi drug resistant bacteria (as well as aerosolised viral particles) and that being associated with The Trinity Challenge and MIT will give us more gravitas as we approach new customers. Specifically, we belive this will aid us with the barriers around culture and education of key public decision makers.

Primarily we would love to work with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to help implement this in the developing world.

In addition, we are interested in working with McKinsey to help educate and introduce this to the healthcare and long term care facilities.