Development of New Chromophores for Soil Detection on Surgical Instruments (part 2)

Small surgical instruments can be used multiple times if cleaned properly after each surgery. At the end of the cleaning process, a visual inspection of each instrument is performed in order to detect any traces of soil such as blood, tissue or any other biological materials. However, the human eye is not a flawless sensor and soils that are not visible to the naked can be present. The objective of this project is to develop new chromophores that could bind selectively to biological materials and emit light in a specific region of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing quantitative analysis of the soil in an ambient environment without the need for complex setups that are difficult to operate. This technology will give STERIS a significant edge over the competition as no other reliable method for quantitative analysis has been commercialized yet. The results obtained in the first phase of this project are highly encouranging, but improvement still need to be done to make these molecules even more water-sluble to ensure an organic solvent-free process.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jean-François Morin

Student:

Karimulla Mulla

Partner:

STERIS Canada Corporation

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

Université Laval