# Novel sanitizer/disinfectants against viral infections with long-lasting effect

> **NIH NIH R42** · CAMELLIX, LLC · 2020 · $653,249

## Abstract

Abstract
 Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States,
associated annually with 19-21 million illnesses, 56,000-71,000 hospitalizations and 570-800
deaths (US CDC, Overview about Norovirus). Norovirus is one of the nonenveloped viruses that
are resistant to alcohol sanitization. According to US CDC Guidelines for the Prevention and
Control of Norovirus Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Healthcare Settings, the primary method for
prevention of norovirus transmission by hand is hand wash with soap and water. However, this
method does not inactivate norovirus, but rather releases and washes the virus off the skin.
Currently available agents that are able to inactivate norovirus are toxic to human cells. In fact,
viral outbreaks worldwide are on the rise despite the increased effort to prevent them. Our goal
is to develop several effective, non-toxic, environment-friendly hand sanitizer/surface
disinfectants to aid in the prevention of viral outbreaks, particularly norovirus prevention. During
Phase I of the STTR project, we focused on testing the proof-of-concept that novel sanitizer
formulations (ProtecTeaV) containing EGCG-palmitate are capable of inactivating norovirus and
bacteria. We have successfully identified ProtecTeaV formulations with virucidal activity and this
activity persists on a clean surface beyond a 12-hour period. The new findings have been published
in the International Journal of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (Widjaja et al, 2018). The
objectives of our Phase II proposal include optimization and finalization of the ProtecTeaV
formulation in several prototypes; testing these prototypes and receiving approval from
regulatory agencies; and conversion of the prototypes to large scale production-ready products.
The R&D effort will continue to be based on the existing strong partnership between Camellix and
Augusta University, our current manufacturer partner, and experts in formulation, regulatory,
production, and business development. We expect to launch the first ProtecTeaV product at the
completion of this project.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9829078
- **Project number:** 5R42AI124738-03
- **Recipient organization:** CAMELLIX, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Douglas Peter Dickinson
- **Activity code:** R42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $653,249
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-12-01 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9829078

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9829078, Novel sanitizer/disinfectants against viral infections with long-lasting effect (5R42AI124738-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9829078. Licensed CC0.

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