Revolutionary hygiene technology: Dyphox dramatically increases production volumes

It is estimated that millions of patients get infected during hospital stays (also referred to as healthcare-associated infections – HAIs), every year. Many of these infections have fatal and costly consequences. However, it is assumed that at least one third of these cases could be avoided by following appropriate hygiene guidelines.

Due to the high workload and stressful daily routine in hospitals, hand disinfection compliance is not always 100 percent adhered to. As a result, germs are unintentionally transferred to beds, tables or PC keyboards, for example when a doctor treats a patient and then enters the findings into a computer afterwards without having disinfected his hands in between.

This is where the solution of the Regensburg-based company Dyphox comes into play: The colorless, retrofit coating contains a harmless dye that transfers the energy of visible light to the ambient air of the surface. This photodynamic process creates a thin gaseous layer of reactive oxygen (about one micrometer in thickness) directly on the coated surface. The oxidative effect of the reactive oxygen is completely harmless to humans, but destructive to the pathogens on the coated surface. Surfaces coated with Dyphox remain sterile for up to a year. This effectively and permanently interrupts transmission chains. The antibacterial effectiveness has been scientifically proven and additionally tested by an independent laboratory.

The broad demand for the innovative technology is growing rapidly and more and more areas of application are opening up for the young company. Recently, public facilities at the Biopark Regensburg as well as the interior of some local bus lines were coated with Dyphox. Broad application of the coating in public areas (stair railings, other public transport such as airplanes or subways, public toilets etc.) and industry (for example production facilities) as well as in the hygienic packaging of food are possible in the long run.

In 2020, Dyphox concluded its Series-B and Series-C financing rounds which now allows them to significantly increase personnel and distribution capabilities as well as production capacity. “Multi-resistant germs and smear infections are a major problem, not only in the entire healthcare sector, but increasingly also in public life,” says Xaver Auer, CEO of Dyphox. “We are convinced that our technology can make a decisive contribution to closing hygiene gaps and thus prevent many infections.”