“In our recent study, we found that the viruses stayed infective for more than two days on plastic surfaces that were not treated at all. In contrast, a plastic surface containing resin showed good antiviral activity within fifteen minutes of contact and excellent efficacy after thirty minutes. Plastic treated with resin is therefore a promising candidate for an antiviral surface,” says Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology Varpu Marjomäki, the team lead.
The findings could lead to tools to control infection in restaurants, kindergartens, public transport, and stores—essentially on any surface where viruses can potentially stay infective for a long time and spread easily, Marjomäki added.
The work is part of the BIOPROT [Development of bio-based and antimicrobial materials and use as protective equipment] done in collaboration with the Finnish company Premix Oy.project and funded by Business Finland.