For the first time in the world, a device, developed by Sharp Corporation, equipped with Plasmacluster Technology, which exposed an airborne novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) to Plasmacluster ions for approximately 30 seconds, has effectively reduced the infectious titer of the virus by more than 90%.
This achievement was accomplished in
collaboration with Professor Jiro Yasuda of the National Research Center for
the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases/Institute of Tropical
Medicine, Nagasaki University, Professor Asuka Nanbo (a board member of the
Japanese Society for Virology) of the same institution, Professor Hironori
Yoshiyama of the Department of Microbiology, Shimane University, Faculty of
Medicine (also, a board member of the Japanese Society for Virology), and
Nagasaki University, an internationally respected authority on infectious
diseases research.
The outbreak of Coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was first
reported in December 2019. By August 2020, this disease had already infected
more than 25 million people and taken the lives of 840,000 individuals globally.
This outbreak is an emergency faced by our society and made it necessary to
take immediate countermeasures across a wide range of fields.
In 2004, Sharp demonstrated
the effectiveness of Plasmacluster technology against feline (cat) coronavirus,
a member of the
On the day of the launch,
Dr Jiro Yasuda, Professor of National Research Center for the Control and
Prevention of Infectious Diseases,
Since 2000, Sharp has been
demonstrating the effectiveness of Plasmacluster technology by working in
collaboration with independent third-party research organizations around the
world. So far, numerous independent research organizations have proven its clinical
efficacy in suppressing the activity of harmful substances including new
pandemic influenza viruses, drug-resistant bacteria, and mite allergens, as
well as in reducing bronchial inflammation levels in children with asthma.
Plasmacluster and the Plasmacluster
logos are registered trademarks of Sharp Corporation.
Research Details -
■ Overview of Verification Test
· Testing
organization:
· Verification
test apparatus: Virus testing device equipped with Plasmacluster Technology
Test device
diagram
Plasmacluster ion concentration: Approx.
10 million/cm3 (in the vicinity of the Plasmacluster ion generator)
· Test
space volume: Approx. 3 liter
· Control
study: Comparison using the device described above without Plasmacluster ion
generation
· Validation
virus: Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
· Test
method
o Pass the aerosolized
virus through the test devise from the generator
o Recover the
aerosolized virus after exposure to Plasma cluster ions
o Calculate the
infectious virus titer of the recovered virus solution by a plaque assay*
* A standard assay to evaluate the number of
infectious virus in the sample
Results -
Table 1 Effect of Plasmacluster ions on
infectious titer of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) suspended in the air
|
Without Plasmacluster ions |
With Plasmacluster ions |
Reduction |
|||
Infectious virus titer (number
of plaque) |
1.76 x 104 |
1.54 x
103 |
91.3% |