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Ludwig-Begall LF, Heyne B. aPDI meets PPE: photochemical decontamination in healthcare using methylene blue-where are we now, where will we go? Photochem Photobiol Sci 2024; 23:215-223. [PMID: 38165604 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-023-00514-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Personal protective equipment (PPE) reuse, first recommended in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, can mitigate shortages in crisis situations and can greatly reduce the environmental impact of typically single-use PPE. Prior to safe reuse, PPE must be sanitized and contaminating pathogens-in current circumstances viruses in particular-must be inactivated. However, many established decontamination procedures are not equitable and remain unavailable in low-resource settings. In mid-2020, an interdisciplinary consortium of researchers first studied the potential of implementing cheap and easy-to-use antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) using methylene blue as photosensitizer to decontaminate face masks and filtering facepiece respirators. In this perspective piece, we describe the development of this novel method, discuss recent advances, and offer insights into how equitable PPE decontamination via methylene blue-based aPDI may be integrated into circular economy policies in the healthcare sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louisa F Ludwig-Begall
- Veterinary Virology and Animal Viral Diseases, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, FARAH Research Centre, University of Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Belinda Heyne
- Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
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Hume AJ, Olejnik J, White MR, Huang J, Turcinovic J, Heiden B, Bawa PS, Williams CJ, Gorham NG, Alekseyev YO, Connor JH, Kotton DN, Mühlberger E. Heat Inactivation of Nipah Virus for Downstream Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Does Not Interfere with Sample Quality. Pathogens 2024; 13:62. [PMID: 38251369 PMCID: PMC10818917 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13010062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies are instrumental to improving our understanding of virus-host interactions in cell culture infection studies and complex biological systems because they allow separating the transcriptional signatures of infected versus non-infected bystander cells. A drawback of using biosafety level (BSL) 4 pathogens is that protocols are typically developed without consideration of virus inactivation during the procedure. To ensure complete inactivation of virus-containing samples for downstream analyses, an adaptation of the workflow is needed. Focusing on a commercially available microfluidic partitioning scRNA-seq platform to prepare samples for scRNA-seq, we tested various chemical and physical components of the platform for their ability to inactivate Nipah virus (NiV), a BSL-4 pathogen that belongs to the group of nonsegmented negative-sense RNA viruses. The only step of the standard protocol that led to NiV inactivation was a 5 min incubation at 85 °C. To comply with the more stringent biosafety requirements for BSL-4-derived samples, we included an additional heat step after cDNA synthesis. This step alone was sufficient to inactivate NiV-containing samples, adding to the necessary inactivation redundancy. Importantly, the additional heat step did not affect sample quality or downstream scRNA-seq results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Hume
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (A.J.H.); (J.O.); (M.R.W.); (J.T.); (B.H.); (J.H.C.)
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02218, USA
| | - Judith Olejnik
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (A.J.H.); (J.O.); (M.R.W.); (J.T.); (B.H.); (J.H.C.)
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02218, USA
| | - Mitchell R. White
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (A.J.H.); (J.O.); (M.R.W.); (J.T.); (B.H.); (J.H.C.)
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02218, USA
| | - Jessie Huang
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (J.H.); (P.S.B.); (D.N.K.)
- The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Jacquelyn Turcinovic
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (A.J.H.); (J.O.); (M.R.W.); (J.T.); (B.H.); (J.H.C.)
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02218, USA
| | - Baylee Heiden
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (A.J.H.); (J.O.); (M.R.W.); (J.T.); (B.H.); (J.H.C.)
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02218, USA
| | - Pushpinder S. Bawa
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (J.H.); (P.S.B.); (D.N.K.)
| | - Christopher J. Williams
- Department of Medicine, Single Cell Sequencing Core Facility, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA;
| | - Nickolas G. Gorham
- Microarray and Sequencing Resource Core Facility, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA;
| | - Yuriy O. Alekseyev
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA;
| | - John H. Connor
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (A.J.H.); (J.O.); (M.R.W.); (J.T.); (B.H.); (J.H.C.)
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02218, USA
| | - Darrell N. Kotton
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (J.H.); (P.S.B.); (D.N.K.)
- The Pulmonary Center and Department of Medicine, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Elke Mühlberger
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (A.J.H.); (J.O.); (M.R.W.); (J.T.); (B.H.); (J.H.C.)
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02218, USA
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Emadi E, Hamidi Alamdari D, Attaran D, Attaran S. Application of methylene blue for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19: A narrative review. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES 2024; 27:780-792. [PMID: 38800024 PMCID: PMC11127079 DOI: 10.22038/ijbms.2024.71871.15617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The newest virus from the SARS family of viruses called acute syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19 disease, was identified in China at the end of 2019. In March 2020, after it spread to 29 additional countries, it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). SARS-CoV-2 infection mainly starts through the respiratory tract and causes a wide spectrum of symptoms from asymptomatic infections to acute respiratory distress syndrome with multi-organ failure and vasoplegic shock. Among the many immunomodulatory and antiviral drugs that have been studied for the treatment of COVID-19, methylene blue (MB) may play an influential role. This article reviews the history of MB applications, the antiviral effects of MB against SARS-CoV-2, and the results of in vivo and in vitro studies of the use of MB in COVID-19. Based on studies, MB can simultaneously affect most of the host's harmful responses caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection due to its multiple properties, including anti-hypoxemia, anti-oxidant, immune system modulator, and antiviral. The use of MB is associated with a reduction in the possibility of getting infection, and mortality, and can be used as a safe, effective, cheap, and available treatment option with minimal side effects for the clinical management of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaheh Emadi
- Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Daryoush Hamidi Alamdari
- Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Davood Attaran
- Lung Diseases Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Soroush Attaran
- Lung Diseases Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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Rowan NJ. Challenges and future opportunities to unlock the critical supply chain of personal and protective equipment (PPE) encompassing decontamination and reuse under emergency use authorization (EUA) conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic: Through a reflective circularity and sustainability lens. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 866:161455. [PMID: 36621483 PMCID: PMC9815879 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the resulting coronavirus disease (COVID-19), was declared a public health emergency of global concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the early months of 2020. There was a marked lack of knowledge to inform national pandemic response plans encompassing appropriate disease mitigation and preparation strategies to constrain and manage COVID-19. For example, the top 16 "most cited" papers published at the start of the pandemic on core knowledge gaps collectively constitute a staggering 29,393 citations. Albeit complex, appropriate decontamination modalities have been reported and developed for safe reuse of personal and protective equipment (PPE) under emergency use authorization (EUA) where critical supply chain shortages occur for healthcare workers (HCWs) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Commensurately, these similar methods may provide solutions for the safe decontamination of enormous volumes of PPE waste promoting opportunities in the circular bioeconomy that will also protect our environment, habitats and natural capital. The co-circulation of the highly transmissive mix of COVID-19 variants of concern (VoC) will continue to challenge our embattled healthcare systems globally for many years to come with an emphasis placed on maintaining effective disease mitigation strategies. This viewpoint article addresses the rationale and key developments in this important area since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides an insight into a variety of potential opportunities to unlock the long-term sustainability of single-use medical devices, including waste management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil J Rowan
- Department of Nursing and Healthcare, Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Midwest, Ireland; Centre for Disinfection and Sterilization, Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Midwest, Ireland; School of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, Ireland; CURAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, University of Galway, Ireland.
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