The idea:

In about 1998, the then president of the Wound Healing Society (G. Schultz) was contacted by a garment industry entrepreneur, with an interest in health care (David Lerner) about making a new bandage based on a Mexican hydrogel that he had seen. The material was weak, so Schultz contacted Batich to discuss. A plastic surgeon faculty member also joined in, and it was decided that biocidal activity was a better target. A consultant recently retired from industry (J. Olderman) advised about testing in the presence of protein. A “special” bound biocide was proposed.

Figure 1

Reducing to practice:

It worked, even for MRSA and many other bugs, and in the presence of serum!

Figure 2

Commercialization:

We could write a book on the difficulties, but a company was formed (QuickMed), it went public, and now employs a group of excellent UF graduates at a lab in Gainesville. Senior Scientist William Toreki there has had a huge impact on innovative reductions to practice for further modification of this and related technologies to spin off from the basic technology.

Figures

Barrier dressings that kill bacteria on contact, but have no zone of inhibition. Red indicates bacterial growth. White square (Fig. 2) is product, other is control gauze.