ATHENS, Ga. — Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a new hand sanitizer called NORel, which uses nitric oxide to kill bacteria and fungi, providing longer protection than traditional alcohol-based sanitizers.
The new gel, NORel, eliminates more than 97% of bacteria and fungi, including antibiotic-resistant strains, and maintains effective antimicrobial activity for up to two hours after application.
Researchers say this is significantly longer than the 30 to 60 minutes of protection offered by typical alcohol-based sanitizers.
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“Regular hand sanitizers with alcohol in them do a pretty good job at killing bacteria when you apply them initially,” said Elizabeth Brisbois, lead author of the study and an associate professor in the UGA College of Engineering. “We showed that the nitric oxide persists on the skin for a longer period of time, so it’s kind of an extended protective effect. That was the most exciting result.”
NORel’s potential as a long-lasting, powerful hand hygiene solution is particularly promising for high-risk environments such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities.
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The gel is fortified with antimicrobial and moisturizing ingredients like ethanol, tea tree oil, and glycerin, researchers said.
UGA said the study detailing NORel’s development and effectiveness was published in Biomaterials Science and was co-authored by Manjyot Kaur Chug, Gabrielle Aluisio, Cole Bousquet, Mark Garren, Yun Qian, and Joseph H. Campbell.
The research was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a unit of the National Institutes of Health.
Further research is planned to test NORel against pathogens like COVID-19 and to improve the gel’s shelf life.
“In this initial project, our focus was on formulating the hand sanitizer and evaluating its effectiveness against bacteria commonly associated with medical device infections,” Brisbois said.
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