Watch CBS News

Local Chemist Gets Large Grant To Help Develop Super Anti-Bacterial Cleaner

By John McDevitt

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - An area chemist working on a powerful disinfectant to combat super bugs in hospitals and nursing homes may be one step closer to developing the next generation of anti-bacterial cleaning products.

The University City Science Center awarded a $200,000 grant to Temple University assistant professor of chemistry William Wuest and his research team to further develop a disinfectant that Wuest says is 100 times more potent than Lysol when used against drug resistant bacteria like MRSA:

"Our compounds are maybe a little bit slightly more toxic, however the potency outweighs those negative effects and this is what we are currently working on with this grant is to get the sweet spot between toxicity and also potency against bacteria."

Wuest says he hopes the one-year grant will help his team narrow down compounds, meet EPA standards and, eventually, get a product out on the market.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.