Newswise — The LightStrike pulsed xenon disinfection robot is the first ultraviolet (UV) room disinfection technology proven to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2). The LightStrike robot achieved a greater than 99.99% level of disinfection against SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, in two minutes. Testing was performed in a biosafety level 4 lab at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, one of the world’s leading independent research institutes working exclusively on infectious diseases.
The new peer-reviewed and published study, titled “Deactivation of SARS-CoV-2 with pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light: Implications for environmental COVID-19 control” is published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. The authors include highly regarded physicians and infectious disease experts from the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, HonorHealth, Mayo Clinic, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Michigan, University of California-San Francisco, West Virginia University Medicine, and Xenex.
“Deactivating SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces is a critical and necessary step to protect people as businesses and schools begin to reopen and people return to work. Individuals with COVID-19 and asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2 contaminate their environment, and SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to be viable on surfaces for up to three days,” said Dr. Mark Stibich, Chief Scientific Officer of Xenex. “We convened a panel of some of the world’s leading infectious disease experts to validate the efficacy of pulsed xenon UV disinfection against SARS-CoV-2, and to confirm the LightStrike robot’s role as an important tool in the battle against the pandemic.”
LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots™ use a xenon lamp to generate bursts of high intensity, broad spectrum (200-315nm) UV light. Different pathogens are susceptible to UV light at different wavelengths. With broad spectrum UV light, Xenex LightStrike robots quickly deactivate viruses, bacteria and spores at the specific wavelengths of light where the pathogens are most vulnerable without damaging materials or surfaces. More than 40 peer-reviewed studies have been published validating the efficacy of the LightStrike technology, which is now being used not only in healthcare facilities but in hotels, schools, professional sports facilities, office buildings and corporate headquarters, airports, police stations and jails, government buildings, and food processing facilities.
Prior to peer-review, Xenex’s SARS-CoV-2 efficacy results were shared in a study published on medRxiv on May 11, 2020.
About Xenex
Xenex is a world leader in UV technology-based disinfection strategies and solutions, working closely with hospitals’ infection control and EVS personnel to reduce the presence of dangerous pathogens in their facilities to provide a safer environment for patients and staff. Xenex's mission is to save lives and reduce suffering by destroying the deadly microorganisms that can cause infections. Xenex is backed by well-known investors that include EW Healthcare Partners, Piper Jaffray, Malin Corporation, Battery Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II, Tectonic Ventures and RK Ventures. For more information, visit xenex.com.
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