A pioneering North West bio-science firm has produced a "world-first" alcohol-free hand sanitiser it says is proven to be 20% more effective than popular gels.
Cheshire-based Spheritech has just received approval to sell its sanitiser product Spherilyse, which uses tiny microparticles to kill Covid-19, that remain long after use and for "the majority of the day" - meaning fewer applications needed.
Dr Don Wellings, scientist and founder of the Runcorn firm, said being alcohol free, the barrier cream is also much more suited to sensitive skin, and safer for children.
It's one of a huge number of projects led by the firm based at The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn.
Those include manufacturing artificial blood to help keep transplant organs alive for longer, creating polymers to regenerate bones to "revolutionise surgery", and new animal medical treatments, for which he has signed a major deal with Japan's largest animal health company.
Dr Wellings, who financed the launch of his business using £10,000 on his Barclaycard after he failed to raise a loan from the bank back in 2009, said that due to the pandemic, many projects had to be halted - but that didn't stop his firm from innovating.
He told BusinessLive: "Covid meant we had to stop and refocus our attentions - and we chose to help combat the disease - including looking at hand sanitiser.
"The product that everybody uses is alcohol gel, which dries up your skin and in some people's cases, gives them very, very sore hands and skin.
"So it's kind of disadvantage - one, because of the skin, two, because children have got a habit of drinking alcohol gels - and alcoholics too, which can be incredibly dangerous."
He said conventional hand sanitiser "evaporates" from the skin, often before it has killed the virus.
This new product is based upon patented technology using naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides.
The tiny microparticles are roughly a 50th the diameter of a human hair, and made entirely of natural food preservative - consisting of amino and other fatty acids.
Dr Wellings said: "They're so small, they get stuck in the pores and the crevices in your skin.
"So we take some very natural materials, make them into microparticles that stick on your skin, and they kill bacteria and fungi, and viruses, of course.
"These have actually been tested, and are proven to be 15 to 20% better than alcohol gels.
"The microparticles continue to have an anti microbial action. which means that when you put it on, it's going to last the majority of the day, even after washing your hands several times."
The firm has a patent on the product, and Dr Wellings said that last week, the cosmetics regulator approved Spherilyse, so it can now be manufactured and sold across the UK.
The company is now in talks with "very large personal care companies", as well as a fast food firm and a household DIY company.
Dr Wellings said it is a "world-first" product as it's a novel material with a patent granted in "most countries in the world".
He added: "We have a very strong intellectual property portfolio protecting us against competition. There's nothing out there that can compete with it on the same basis."
The sanitiser is one of many exciting projects being led by the Cheshire firm, with other medical research and various trials ongoing with universities around the North West.
Another of note, but paused by the pandemic, involves developing synthetic blood hoped to "revolutionise" transfusions - and by keeping transplant organs alive for longer.
Last month, the firm, which is taking on new office space at the Heath, also announced it had agreed a major deal with Japan's largest animal health company for one of its patented antimicrobial microparticles.
The agreement is with UK-based Carus Animal Health, which is backed by its parent company, Kyoritsu Seiyaku.
The 'SpheriSome' technology is a novel and unique process for self-assembly of fatty acid microparticles in water.
These fatty acid microparticles can be used to immobilise or encapsulate functional molecules including drugs, antimicrobial compounds and enzymes.
Dr Wellings said another ongoing scheme is creating technology to remove lead from drinking water.
That's as well as a further project soon to be completed for the firm - developing a new see-through face mask complete with a filter designed to kill virus particles.
