C-CAMP startup Biomoneta’s air decontamination tech demonstrates 99.9999% efficiency against COVID-19

New Delhi: C-CAMP COVID-19 Innovations Deployment Accelerator C-CIDA cohort Biomoneta, has shown that their innovative air decontamination technology, ZeBox can eliminate airborne COVID-19 virus with 99.9999% efficiency in any closed setting.

Validation studies conducted at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and supported by DBT-BIRAC funds were found effective against aerosolized coronavirus as opposed to surrogate or immobilized viruses providing robust data for elimination from air. This makes Zebox a first-in-class air sterilization device in India just as schools, colleges and offices across the country look to open up.

The technology though is pathogen agnostic. In previous studies conducted by ICMR/NABL-accredited labs, ZeBox destroyed other airborne microbes with 99.999% efficiency as well. It is proven to be effective against pathogens notorious for causing secondary infections in hospitals, including bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, fungi such as Candida, and viruses such as H1N1 which cause influenza.

ZeBox’s activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen causing TB, is noteworthy. TB remains a neglected disease with no preventive vaccine. The causative pathogen is airborne, highly transmissible and can spread through variants that cannot be treated easily with currently available antibiotics. Preventive solutions such as air sterilization offer a viable solution for such airborne infections making ZeBox an all-in-one infection preventative with a compelling impact/commercial potential on the horizon.

Janani Venkatraman, co-founder and CEO of Biomoneta, adds, “Post COVID, there is a realization that air treatment needs microbe-specific standards. The methods used to disinfect air even in state-of-the-art medical environments focus on particulate matter removal as a surrogate for microbial decontamination. Our medical and surgical procedures have evolved significantly, we aspire to bring air sterilization to the same level.”

Biomoneta, a Govt of India and Govt of Karnataka funded start-up, takes pride in its real-world validations. “Lab data is important but real impact is measured by how the technology translates for the end user”, explains Arindam Ghatak, CTO and co-founder, “We have worked with hospitals, clinics, IVF labs, offices and cafeterias to demonstrate this.”

Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO & Director of C-CAMP, a Dept of Biotechnology funded life science innovation hub and incubator to Biomoneta since 2017 remarked, “Airborne pathogens have been a huge health risk for decades. They continue to remain critical in hospital acquired infections or HAIs. In recent times, due to COVID-19, the world has woken up to infections as a dangerous threat no longer just in hospitals but in any closed setting such as schools, colleges, offices, auditoriums and the like. Biomoneta, as a C-CAMP incubated startup, is testimony to what deep-science led innovations can do to solve a crucial problem for COVID and looking beyond, for non-COVID airborne infections. Backed by superb COVID related data, Biomoneta’s ZeBox is definitely the future in air decontamination.”

SARS-Cov-2 is not the first causative agent for a pandemic, nor will it be the last. Airborne pathogens spread very rapidly and need multiple strategies to prevent transmission. As the world rallies to prepare itself adequately and prevent future airborne pandemics, strategic air decontamination measures offer a beacon of hope for maintaining healthy air quality.