June 16, 2020 – Signify reports that the company—along with the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) at Boston University in the U.S.—has conducted research validating the effectiveness of Signify’s UV-C light sources at inactivating SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19.

“Our test results show that above a specific dose of UV-C radiation, viruses were completely inactivated; in a matter of seconds we could no longer detect any virus,” said Dr. Anthony Griffiths. “We’re very excited about these findings and hope that this will accelerate the development of products that can help limit the spread of COVID-19.”

Signify says that, since the start of the pandemic, Griffiths (Boston University School of Medicine) and his team have been working on developing tools to support scientific advancement in this field. During their research, they treated inoculated material with different doses of UV-C radiation coming from a Signify light source and assessed the inactivation capacity under various conditions.

The team applied a dose of 5 mJ/cm², resulting in a reduction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus of 99% in 6 seconds. Based on the data, it was determined that a dose of 22 mJ/cm² will result in a reduction of 99.9999% in 25 seconds.

“Given the potential of the technology to aid the fight against the coronavirus, Signify will not keep the technology for its exclusive use but make it available to other lighting companies,” said Eric Rondolat, CEO of Signify. “To service the growing need for disinfection we will increase our production capacity multi-fold in the coming months.”

Notes

• UV-C light is found within the ultraviolet spectrum; it renders harmful micro-organisms like bacteria and viruses ineffective by destroying their RNA, thereby denying them the ability to regenerate.

• The NEIDL research facility contains containment laboratories at Biosafety Levels -2, -3, and -4.

• Dr. Griffiths’ team develops vaccines and therapeutics for Risk Group 3 and 4 viruses, which include organisms that can cause serious or deadly diseases in humans.