AFTER having developed its product line in partnership with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) for over 20 years, the Germagic Biological Technology is ready to introduce its antimicrobial technology to the Philippines.
Hailing from Taiwan and Hong Kong’s Chiaphua Industries Ltd., Germagic takes an innovative approach toward air purification, water purification and a full range of epidemic control.
One of its products is the MAP-1, an anti-microbial coating designed for use across a wide range of surfaces including glass, metals, plastic, leather and fabrics, according to the HKUST.
Germagic boasts 30-day protection, 10-year testing with over 100 internationally accredited laboratories, contact killing, release killing and anti-adhesion, as opposed to the solutions currently available in the market that have undergone in-house testing only, and offers one-minute protection and contact killing only.
Germagic's coating lasts significantly longer than conventional disinfectants like bleach and alcohol, which lose their function as soon as the liquids evaporate. Germagic relies on heat-sensitive polymers which can detect the increase in temperature from body heat when someone touches the coated surface, thereby releasing the disinfectant. Once the person removes his hand, the polymer material closes to conserve the disinfectant.
According to a government-backed study published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal in 2018, Germagic's antimicrobial coating achieved consistently low bacterial load when it was tested in several wards in one of the largest hospitals in the city from 2013 to 2015.
Germagic's coating can be applied in schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, public transportation, offices, condominiums, homes and on high-contact surfaces such as elevator buttons and handrails.
“These places are frequently touched, and at the same time, serve as a very effective medium for transmission of diseases,” said HKUST Adjunct Professor Joseph Kwan, one of the chief researchers in the team that developed the product.
As the novel coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) is a new virus strain, there is still no testing facility that provides Sars-CoV-2 for testing. However, Germagic has been found to be effective against the feline calicivirus (FCV), the gold standard surrogate virus for the novel coronavirus. A small, non-enveloped virus, the FCV is among the most resistant to inactivation by disinfection. If a disinfectant is able to inactive the FCV, then it can inactivate emerging coronaviruses including Sars-CoV-2.
Since Feb. 17, 2020, Hong Kong has applied Germagic to over 300,000 square meters of spaces including nursing homes, universities and high schools and clinics.
In late February, Germagic partnered with ComfortDelGro Corp., a multinational land transport company in Singapore. The company has approximately 45,300 vehicles around the world.
In late March, Germagic was applied in the government administration buildings of Putrajaya, Malaysia.
In July, Germagic partnered with KMB, the largest bus company in Hong Kong. It sanitized 4,300 buses for public use.
Germagic's available products include the Multi-Pro 72 Hours Disinfectant Spray, the MAP 1-Pro Germagic Antimicrobial Coating and the Antimicrobial Air Disinfection Stick-on Filter (90-day Protection).
The air disinfection stick-on filter is unlike all other regular filters on the market. It not only screens the air one inhales from airconditiong units, removes odor and filters dust, but it also kills viruses.
Germagic has combined three systems in one. It has a regular layer to take away the odor and the Hepa (high efficiency particulate air) filter to filter around 99.9 percent of all the particles, and a last coat of Germagic filter, which boasts the same three-fold technology: contact-killing, anti-adhesion and release-killing. Once particles enter through the carbon filter, the odor is eliminated. Then they go through the Hepa filter where they are trapped, disrupted and die upon contact with the Germagic filter before it goes out to the air.
For more information, visit germagic.ph. One may also send them a message on Facebook.