A micronized electrostatic precipitator for next-generation respiratory protection against pathogenic aerosols

PROJECT SUMMARY Many pathogens, such as severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, spread via aerosol transmission and inflict global public health and economic consequences. SARS-CoV-2 has infected over 450 million people, led to over 6 million fatalities, and caused major economic losses. The tuberculosis-causing bacterium and longstanding global health enemy, M. tuberculosis, led to an estimated 1.3 million deaths and over 5 billion USD in global spending in 2020 alone. Both of these pathogens, SARS-CoV-2 and M. tuberculosis, impose disproportionate burdens on healthcare workers, who are exposed to airborne pathogens at higher rates than the general population. The current respiratory protection options available to healthcare workers are generally limited to surgical masks and nonoil-95 percent collection (N95) filter-based respirators. N95s are the current gold standard, but these respirators can only properly function when a snug seal on the face of the user causes a pressure drop, which makes breathing more difficult and often leads to compliance issues. These respirators are also not designed to inactivate the pathogens they collect, and their disposable nature generates waste and leaves users susceptible to supply shortages. Thus, the widespread threats of airborne pathogens and the significant limitations of existing protection options necessitate the development of novel strategies to protect healthcare workers from airborne transmission of infectious diseases. Henley Ion’s solution is a next-generation respirator based on a miniaturized form of an electrostatic precipitator (mEP). Henley Ion is the first to leverage the mEP strategy to remove aerosol particles in the context of personal respiratory protection. Rather than relying on a filter, this innovation allows Henley Ion to use mEP to capture and remove aerosol particles as the wearer breathes, needing only the natural velocity of normal breathing. In Aim 1, we will conduct benchtop testing to optimize device performance. We will demonstrate that the particle removal performance of our device matches or exceeds that of an N95 at a range of physiological respiration rates. In Aim 2, we will conduct biological testing to confirm optimized device performance that matches or exceeds the N95 for particle removal of SARS-CoV-2 and M. tuberculosis. We will measure particle removal at differential air flow rates and using discrete particle size distributions, and we will assess any residual viable pathogens in the device. Together, these steps will optimize the Henley mEP respirator and confirm its efficacy against both viral and bacterial pathogens, supporting the commercialization of this novel protective strategy to address the extreme need during the present pandemic and for infectious diseases more broadly.