In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, startups based at the European School of Chemistry, Polymers, and Materials in Strasbourg (ECPM) or spun off from its laboratories are offering innovative solutions to detect or eliminate the virus.
Founded in 2019 within the INSERM Biomaterials and Bioengineering Laboratory, which is affiliated with ECPM, Spartha Medical is developing a naturally derived antiviral and antimicrobial biocide spray that could eliminate the SARS-CoV-2 virus from any surface. This breakthrough draws on 20 years of expertise in the production of biopolymer materials designed to protect medical implants from bacteria and other microbes. The startup plans to bring this new gel to market by fall.
PolyDtech, founded within the Department of Analytical Sciences (Hubert Curien Multidisciplinary Institute, ECPM-Unistra/CNRS), is dedicated to developing bioluminescent markers that improve early disease diagnosis and medical imaging. It has developed a rapid antigen test, RAPIDTECH, which can detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with an accuracy comparable to PCR tests: the agreement rate between this rapid test and a PCR test used as the reference method is 94% (based on a comparison of 1,300 tests). With results available in 15 minutes, this test enables rapid diagnosis, which will help healthcare professionals treat patients and control the disease more effectively and quickly.
Biodesiv, founded by two ECPM graduates, has developed a technological breakthrough: the GetXent tube. Patented in 2018, this tube is used to train detection dogs, particularly in the search for explosives or drugs. When sealed in a glass jar for 24 hours, the polymers that make up the tube absorb the target odors and release them in a controlled manner, while maintaining a constant concentration of the odorous substances for three months.
Biodesiv has partnered with the COVIDOG project, which relies on dogs’ sense of smell to detect COVID-19 based on its olfactory signature. The founders of Biodesiv are currently developing a tube designed to capture the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by infected individuals. These VOCs are produced by the human body, particularly in exhaled breath. The composition of these gases changes when a person is sick, with a unique signature for each disease. This project aims to train dogs to identify people carrying the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus without posing a risk of infection to the dogs or their handlers.
DONATIONS
MAKE A DONATION
