Company GAMA Healthcare

University Cardiff University

KTP Associate Dr Maria Rubiano

Funding from Innovate UK

Project summary: leading supplier of antimicrobial wet and dry wipes looks to expand capability and develop new products with virucidal and tuberculocidal efficacy 

The challenge: A specialist in Infection Prevention Technology, GAMA Healthcare  manufactures innovative antimicrobial products; and as the largest supplier of wet and dry wipes in the United Kingdom (with at least one of the products used in every National Health Service hospital), GAMA wanted to consolidate its market leading  position by expanding its range of biocidal products to include claim for virucidal and tuberculocidal efficacy. 

The solution: a KTP with Cardiff University (CU) enabled a translational project focusing on infection control, a central theme to Professor Maillard’s research. 

Results of the collaboration include:

• Three new products being developed including a replacement of the key GAMA product, with increased microbicidal activity claims (broadspectrum efficacy) and competitive pricing.
• A new intelligent design test (i5-design) was developed to efficiently test excipients to produce microbicidal formulations, enabling the testing of 307 formulations and performing 847 individual tests, creating significant cost savings for GAMA. 
• Embedding of the technology was very successful via the Associate’s training input into a new GAMA £4 million R&D facility; GAMA R&D product efficacy range and R&D expertise to use simple bacteria, mycobacteria, virus, fungi and biofilm; standard tests including the new ASTM international standard for antimicrobial wipes developed by CU.

“It is an absolute honour to be a finalist for the KTP award. It reflects the incredibly hard work of a team; the associate, the industrial and academic supervisors, the KTP office and the KTP adviser; and it is a tribute to the fantastic support from the industrial partner, the drive and ambition to make the best products to be deployed in healthcare settings to protect staff and patients from infections, which is highly topical with the current COVID-19 pandemic”  Jean-Yves Maillard, Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Want to find out who wins this category of the KTP Best of the Best Awards? Immerse yourself in our virtual Awards Ceremony on 9 September from 4-5pm. Register here.