The world-wide AIDS epidemic has highlighted a persistent concern in the health-care community--the need for effective sterilization techniques for human blood plasma and plasma-derived products. Even with the increased emphasis on screening of donors and testing for pathogens, the risk of transmission of infection by blood products is currently estimated to be 1 in 3,000 for Hepatitis C (HCV), 1 in 200,000 for Hepatitis B (HBV), and1 in 225,000 for HIV. Aphios has developed a rapid and generally applicable virus inactivation technique for both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses based on supercritical and near-critical fluids (Super Fluids) technology. Super Fluids are normally gases which, when compressed, exhibit enhanced solvation, penetration and explosive decompression properties. Super Fluids are used to permeate and inflate the virus particles. The overfilled particles are then decompressed an, as a result of rapid phase conversion, rupture at their weakest points. The applicants propose to enhance Super Fluids inactivate of viruses by utilizing a discharging or varying electrical filed. They hypthesize that varying potential electrical fields will enhance the effectiveness with which Super Fluids inactivate viruses through some combination of electrophoretic mobility of virus particles in a laminar flow droplet and/or capsid permeability enhancement with increased penetration of the virus particle.
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