Noble Biomaterials, a leader in antimicrobial and conductivity solutions for soft-surface applications, has announced the results of third-party laboratory testing of fabric made with its X-STATIC technology against human coronavirus OC43, a common, strong strain of coronavirus.

According to Noble, the lab results, from BioScience Laboratories Inc., showed that the metallized Noble Biomaterials fabric reduced the viability of the virus six times faster than the unmetallized control fabric. Several Noble Biomaterials customers, including mask manufacturers Flaviatex and Filartex, are already using this material.

“As a major supplier to the healthcare, military and consumer industries, we wanted to have a neutral third party test our fabric technology to ensure it could help reduce the viability of the virus,” said Jeff Keane, CEO of Noble Biomaterials. “These lab results provide critical safety information for our partners, particularly in the healthcare industry, where cross-contamination and infection prevention are constant concerns.”

Noble says that products made with its X-STATIC and Ionic+ technologies can promote a safer healthcare environment by permanently inhibiting the growth of drug-resistant bacteria and fungi and preventing bacterial cross-contamination. The company has supplied partners on five continents with enough antimicrobial products to make tens of millions of pieces of PPE as well as other soft-surface materials that provide antimicrobial protection to patients and healthcare workers.

“Our mission has always been to protect, so we’re grateful that our lab-tested materials are able to provide another layer of protection for healthcare workers, patients and consumers during this healthcare crisis, whether the fabrics are used for scrubs and surgical gowns, bedding and privacy curtains, or consumer masks and apparel,” said Keane.

“Our customers see the value in antimicrobial soft surfaces to help control healthcare-acquired infections,” said Tony Lundin, founder of Silverguard Textiles, a South African company that has been using X-STATIC in its products for years.

“With the current crisis, it’s even more important, and a number of leading hospitals, clinics and institutions in Southern Africa are using the full complement of antimicrobial products we make with X-STATIC, including privacy curtains, bedding, scrubs, surgical gowns and reusable masks.”

As a maker of advanced soft-surface protection materials for medical, military and commercial use, Pennsylvania-based Noble Biomaterials is considered a life-sustaining business and was therefore able to stay open during the Pennsylvania shutdown due to COVID-19 to meet increasing demand for materials used in healthcare fabrics. In addition to being registered as an antimicrobial with the US EPA, X-STATIC holds multiple 510(k) FDA approvals for advanced wound-/burn-care dressings and has undergone extensive safety testing. It is also OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified.

www.noblebiomaterials.com