Fabiosys Innovations develops affordable infection-proof fabrics to prevent HAIs

After undergoing these processes, the fabric gains the powerful Antimicrobial functionality that does not vanish even after washing it multiple times.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi startup, Fabiosys Innovations, has developed infection-proof fabrics to prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), aka healthcare-associated infections, which spread through contact from contaminated surfaces.

The team mentored by Prof Samrat Mukhopadhyay, Department of Textile and Fiber Engineering, IIT Delhi, has developed an affordable novel textile processing technology that converts regular cotton fabrics into infection-proof fabrics by killing around 99.9 percent of the pathogens in 1-2 hours.

According to the startup, rolls of cotton fabrics are treated with a set of their proprietary developed chemicals using the machinery already commonly available in textile industries. After undergoing these processes, the fabric gains the powerful Antimicrobial functionality that does not vanish even after washing it multiple times.

"I found that Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) is a very grave problem especially in developing countries like India where the tropical climatic conditions are suitable for the growth of bacteria. People usually become aware of any cross-contamination when it has already taken the form of an outbreak or epidemic. The recent case of Coronavirus is one such example," said Mr. Yatee Gupta, a B.Tech undergrad from IIT Delhi.

"We are working together on this idea for the past 1.5 years. We are currently in the process of conducting large scale manufacturing trials in the Delhi-NCR region. We have collaborated with AIIMS Delhi to pilot our products. We are also in early talks with some of the largest hospital chains in India for further pilots and strategic collaborations," Gupta further added.

The project is financially supported by the Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Human Resource Development, IIT Delhi and Department of Biotechnology.

According to the World Health Organization, each year, hundreds of millions of patients around the world are affected by HAIs. A number of factors such as illness and age can all make patients more vulnerable to infection.