Pathogen-Protective Coatings for Medical Fabrics

We will develop reagents and methods for coating fabrics for use in medical applications; these fabrics will include surgical gowns and drapes that will protect both health care workers and patients from transmission of pathogens, such as HIV and hepatitis viruses. The methods will use photochemistry for covalently coating nonwoven fabrics with both hydrophilic photopolymers and hydrophobic photoreagents; the material will be highly wettable and absorbent on one side, but highly repellent of liquids encountered in surgical settings on the other side. These fabrics should allow vapors to pass through (i. e., be breathable) and absorb liquids that might be splashed onto them, but not allow liquids that might contain pathogens to penetrate completely through. In addition, the hydrophilic photopolymers will be designed to have virucidal activity as further insurance against transmission of pathogens in blood-containing solutions. The Phase I goals include synthesis of hydrophilic polymers designed to provide both wettability and antimicrobial activity. The wettability will be tested on the coated fabrics and virucidal activity of the polymers will be evaluated in solution during the Phase I project. Composition and application conditions of hydrophobic photoreagents will be tested and optimized by measuring surface energies on solid polypropylene pieces. These reagents will then be applied as a thin layer onto one side of the hydrophilic fabrics and liquid repellency measured (including alcohol and soap solutions).