Medical technology development Henley Ion reports positive testing results of their COVID-19 device designed to provide respiratory protection, without the use of conventional filtration which can make breathing difficult.
In initial testing with Henley’s first prototype at a high-containment laboratory, the Henley Ion Virus Defender removed >99% of SARS-CoV-2 bioaerosols under rigorous Biosafety Level 3 testing conditions.
Leading the team at Henley is Julian Henley, MD, co-founder of the company behind the patent-pending technology that uses micronized electrostatic precipitation (mEP) to remove infectious bioaerosols from the air. The respirator device uses mEP directly integrated into the mask to effectively remove infectious aerosol particles from both inhaled and exhaled air—as opposed to filtration, which can be difficult to breathe through and wear over long periods of time.
“As a physician, we are field soldiers at war with disease. My top priorities are to help sick patients recover and prevent healthy people from falling ill, especially if the enemy is an airborne contagious virus,” says Henley. “The objective of our efforts at Henley Ion is to provide people with the means to protect themselves from airborne pathogens.”
Henley has been issued 34 patents over the course of his surgical and biotechnology career, and he has partnered with global industrial leaders including Dow Corning in manufacturing advanced medical technologies, including the artificial voice box.
Chad J. Roy, PhD, director of infectious disease aerobiology at the primate research center, led the laboratory testing. “The preliminary evaluation of this product’s ability to protect against airborne viruses like SARS-CoV-2 is encouraging,” says Roy. “Aerosol particle removal without the use of filtration represents a step change in respiratory protection technology.”
A published paper with peer-reviewable performance data is forthcoming.
Featured image: Henley Ion Virus Defender Photo: Henley Ion
