News out Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 5, 2020) - Sixth Wave Innovations Inc. (CSE: SIXW) (OTCQB: ATURF) (FSE: AHUH) ("Sixth Wave" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ("NSERC") has approved the proposal submitted by the Company and its partners, York University ("York") and the Centre Technologique des Residus Industriels ("CTRI"), for the development of its AMIPs virus detection technology (the "NSERC Project"). The project was approved for a start date of August 1, 2020.
The focus of the collaboration is to develop a prototype of the Company's AMIP technology to detect viruses in airborne, water and waste water environments, specifically SARS-CoV-2. This collaboration is part of Sixth Wave's multi-pronged R&D approach to revolutionize virus detection, by not only testing and monitoring individual patients, but rather alerting entire populations through proactive virus detection in municipal waste water treatment facilities, or air handling systems (HVAC) in large buildings or indoor facilities. The flexibility of the Company's AMIP technology platform could potentially allow for product configuration not possible with traditional testing techniques such as PCR and immunoassay. This flexibility derives from the completely synthetic manufacturing techniques and components of the Company's technology resulting in higher stability and significantly less susceptibility to environmental variables such as heat, light, and other factors which may impact traditional testing methods.
The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the Covid-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time.
Under the scope of the NSERC Project the prototype developed by the Company and its partners would provide for quantitative virus detection through colorimetric and/or electrochemical signals. These detection systems will be portable, easy to operate and sensitive for future use by inspectors involved in decision-making to address various challenges associated with pathogen outbreaks and pandemics.
If successfully developed, this potential air monitoring application would be able to provide proactive virus detection capabilities to help maintain confidence in public settings and in the reopening of previously contaminated locations. The application could then potentially be used to provide surveillance and mapping of virus hot spots to help contain further spread.
The project will use non-pathogenic viruses such as bacteriophages and inactivated SARS-CoV-2 for prototype development. Development work on the prototype will be undertaken at York University.
"Sixth Wave was honored to have been asked by CTRI and York University to provide the primary sensor for detecting COVID-19 for this project. The Company has a history of successfully developing technologies for a variety of applications and we view this as a logical extension of that success. This project approval is a significant step as it confirms by independent evaluation of the technology that our approach has both scientific and commercial merit and provides continuity between the development team and key regulatory agencies," noted Dr. Jonathan Gluckman, President & CEO.
A copy of the proposal submitted to NSERC can be found here: https://sixthwave.com/NSERC2020.pdf