John Hopkins Scientists Develop an Improved Ebola Protection Suit

The prototype garment was developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design, with input from global health partner, Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins affiliate.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have developed a new garment that can help protect people on the front lines of the Ebola crisis and future deadly infectious disease outbreaks.

The DuPont, which has signed a agreement with the university to commercialize the garment, intends to have the first of these garments available in the marketplace during the first half of 2016.

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The prototype garment was developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID), with input from global health partner, Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins affiliate.

Incorporating some elements from the Johns Hopkins prototype, the garment design from DuPont will feature a rear zipper and a “cocoon-style” removal, or doffing, process that requires far fewer steps to reduce risk. The DuPont garment may include an integrated hood with a large clear visor.

The collaboration with DuPont, a global leader in personal protective apparel, will expedite wide market access for the garment.

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“This unique collaboration,” said Youseph Yazdi, executive director of CBID, “brings together the biomedical ingenuity of Johns Hopkins, the global healthcare experience of Jhpiego and the strategic industrial innovations of DuPont to help save lives worldwide. Although this project was triggered by the recent Ebola outbreak, we believe the improved protective suit’s design will be impactful in future infectious disease outbreaks as well.”

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The system combines two small chips, a microfluidic chip for sample preparation and an optofluidic chip for optical detection.

Source-Medindia

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