Wound care kits produced in Kitchener fighting infections in Ukraine
Posted October 17, 2024 5:58 am.
Last Updated October 17, 2024 11:03 am.
It’s a Canadian-made solution that’s already helping to save lives in Ukraine.
Biomiq is a medical device startup based in Kitchener, Ont., co-founded in 2019 by president Bill Roberts and managing director Robert Fuller.
Its wound cleaning kits, called PureCleanse STAT, contain a chemical called hypochlorous acid (HOCL), which is naturally produced by white blood cells in order to fight infection.
Biomiq has been able to combine HOCL with sterilized water and put it in a single-use squeeze bottle that can be used to clean severe wounds.
“It’s very potent as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial. It’s effective against bacteria, viruses and fungi. But, it’s non-cytotoxic which means it won’t damage healthy cells,” said Fuller while speaking to The Mike Farwell Show.
He said those qualities are what make it so effective at fighting infection, especially in a wartime scenario where wounds are often littered with other debris and infection is common.
Biomiq has partnered with the Canada-Ukraine Foundation to ship donated kits to Ukrainian medics treating the wounded.
Marianna Kaminska, Projects Coordinator, Canada-Ukraine Foundation told The Mike Farwell Show, the kits are already making a difference.
“Right now it’s at three locations in Ukraine, including the front lines.”
The company has so far donated over 4,400 bottles of PureCleanse STAT.
