Scientist invents ‘robot’ that kills Ebola virus

RECENTLY, in effort to eliminate Ebola at the
source, through use of innovative disinfection
technology, two “germ-killing robots” were
deployed from the US to the JFK Hospital and
ELWA Hospital both in Monrovia, Republic of
Liberia, both hotspots of the Ebola disease
outbreak.
The robots, technically known as TRU-D
SmartUVC, were used to disinfect health care
environments where Ebola patients are being
treated. Good Health Weekly gathered that TRU-
D is the only portable UV disinfection device on
the market with Sensor360 technology, which
calculates the time needed to react to room
variables such as size, geometry, surface
reflectivity and the amount and location of
equipment in the room and effectively deliver a
lethal dose of UV-C light during a single cycle
from a single, central location in the room.
Ultraviolet light
“It works by generating ultraviolet light energy
that modifies the DNA structure of viral
pathogens, like Ebola, so that they cannot
reproduce. Viruses that cannot reproduce cannot
colonise and harm patients,” the inventor, a
tropical disease expert and medical
anthropologist Dr. Jeffery L. Deal noted in an
interview.
Deal and his colleague, Chuck Dunn, President
and CEO of TRU-D LLC, respectively, spoke
about the importance of TRU-D to
environmental disinfection in
“TRU-D has been validated by more than 10
studies to be 99.99 percent effective in
eliminating the most common pathogens that
can use health care-associated infections.
After deploying germ-killing robots to Liberia to
aid in battle against the Ebola Virus Disease,
TRU-D SmartUVC inventor traveled to the Ebola
hotspots with UV disinfection devices
TRU-D guarantees a pathogen-free environment
for patients and health care staff. Deal, a Fellow
in the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and
Hygiene, has been training hospital staff to
operate the devices in a number of hospital
environments and monitor progress for
successful disinfection.

• TRU-D SmartUVC ultraviolet disinfection device
on display
“We developed TRU-D SmartUVC technology to
combat the devastating effects ofhospital
acquired infections,” Deal said.
“Unlike many diseases, Ebola strikes hospital
workers more than any other group, making it
the ultimate hospital acquired infection.”
With TRU-D, health care leaders in the U.S.,
Canada, the U.K. and Saudi Arabia are
eliminating pathogens like Ebola, Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome, MERS, influenza,
norovirus, Clostridium difficile, Methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, etc., in
all types of health care settings, including
isolation wards, patient rooms, operating rooms,
surgical suites, intensive care units, emergency
rooms, public areas and ambulances.
“We know through extensive CDC-funded
research specific to TRU-D conducted by thought
leaders in epidemiology and infection prevention
that TRU-D is effective at eliminating
anypathogen by delivering a precisely measured
UVC dose.
“As soon as we knew we could aid struggling
hospitals in Liberia, our team came together and
formulated a plan to get TRU-D on the ground.
More than 200 TRU-Ds have been deployed to
disinfect hospitals across the U.S. and
internationally.
Significance
Between 10 and 15 percent of Ebola cases have
been among health care workers. While most of
this stems from contact with the patient,
concerns exist that the physical environment can
retain active microbes and be a risk. This device
is used in the US to eliminate the organisms
that may still reside on the walls, knobs, rails or
any other exposed surface in health care
settings. The robotic technology is capable of
making the Liberian hospitals safer for the staff
and for new patients.
Development
It was developed by a team of engineers,
physicians and industrial hygienists with the
purpose of decontaminating entire rooms
automatically and eliminating concerns that a
contaminated surface was missed during routine
cleaning.
We use an ultra-efficient narrow wavelength
called UVC to flood the room with germicidal
energy. UVC dosage is accurately measured and
automatically adapts to kill organisms, even in
shadowed areas.
UV disinfection technology and EVD control
This technology is designed to prevent the
spread of the disease transmitted via
contaminated surfaces in health care
environments and is not a treatment or a cure.
We believe that prevention is the best medicine.
The U.S. Army tested this particular wavelength
against Ebola and found that the measured dose
TRU-D delivers results in incredibly rapid
destruction of the virus with its pathogen-
specific dosing options.. We know it is perfect for
use in this critical setting.
Merits/demerits
Multiple studies have already been published
from U.S. and UK academic facilities of TRU-D’s
ability to decontaminate rooms, almost always
testing it against organisms that are much more
difficult to kill in the environment than Ebola is.