Researchers Developed Masks That Can Capture And Kill Viruses

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Researchers from the University of Kentucky, United States of America are developing a mask that is not only effective at filtering but also kills viruses at once.

It is Dibakar Bhattacharyya, a chemical engineering professor who is the director of the Center of Membrane Sciences who recently said that he is developing a mask that can catch and deactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Citing Newsweek, he has now received a research grant of 150,000 US dollars from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Bhattacharyya says it will take up to six months to make a finished and tested membrane mask. According to the University of Kentucky, the project will be facilitated by a large-scale membrane manufacturer.

The main researcher from the research team Bhattacharyya explained that the mask would contain an enzyme that could attach to the protein spikes found in the corona virus and separate them. So that it can kill the virus.

"The protein spikes allow the virus to enter the host cell in the body. Meanwhile, this membrane will be installed with proteolytic enzymes which will attach to the virus and kill it," said Bhattacharyya.

In addition, Bhattacharyya said, by catching the virus, the mask would reduce the number of virus particles in the air that could infect other people around him. "We have the ability to create membranes that are not only effective at filtering out new coronaviruses like the N95 mask, but also inactivating the virus completely," he said.

Making this mask will also pay attention to its shape. So that the mask will still be made as thin as possible and people can breathe easily when wearing it. This tool can also potentially change color when the corona virus is detected.

In the project, Bhattacharyya also collaborated with other researchers from across fields. Among them are engineering professors J. Todd Hastings and Thomas Dziubla, and Yinan Wei from the Department of Chemistry.