The coating is stimulated by light shining onto its surface and it is these reactions which make it resistant to MRSA and E. coli bacteria. Dublin-based company, Kastus, is seeking to commercial the solution from which the coating is made and believes that this invention could provide a solution where conventional cleaning may not be keeping the bugs at bay. Kastus want the coating to be applied to mobile technology (with statistics saying some mobile technology can carry up to 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat) and other areas where colonies of bacteria can be easily found, but hard to remove permanently, such as ceramic tile surfaces. The coating, once baked onto the surface of the item, is transparent, so can be added with little effect on the end user. The low production cost of the coating makes it a cost-effective prevention tool for a problem that, at present, can cost someone's life.
In the midst of calls from the great and the good that antibacterial resistance is to be the health crisis of our generation, innovations such as the Kastus anti-microbial solution shine hope into the darkness that science can provide a solution to this most concerning of problems.