About PFE Medical
Founded in 2004, PFE Medical specialises in advanced endoscopy equipment, decontamination technologies and personal protective equipment for the healthcare sector. The company, which employs 40 staff, is based in Stoke-on-Trent and works with hospitals, clinics and medical professionals worldwide, primarily in Europe, the US and Australia. Originally a distributor for other manufacturers, the company now develops its own range of innovative medical decontamination products, with a mission to enhance patient safety and optimise healthcare efficiency worldwide. These products include an automated endoscope cleaner developed through prior KTPs with Aston University, which is now in use in the NHS.
PFE Medical are now looking to develop a new product: a biodegradable glove that is low-cost and convenient without compromising patient safety.
The challenge that the KTP was set up to address
Over 1.4bn disposable gloves are used annually in the NHS alone, both in critical environments such as operating theatres and for lower risk tasks such as ultrasound scans. Most protective gloves are either latex-free or nitrile single use items, which are disposed of as clinical waste. This is costly for the NHS, both financially and environmentally.
The NHS is one of the largest waste producers in the UK, creating 156,000 tonnes of clinical waste each year. It aims to be the world’s first net-zero health service, reaching net-zero on its direct emissions by 2040. Minimising waste by reducing the use of disposable gloves and providing personal protective equipment (PPE) with a low carbon footprint will be key to achieving that goal.
Each bag of clinical waste costs the NHS £26. Taking disposable gloves out of the clinical waste stream has the potential to deliver significant cost savings and efficiencies.
Disposable gloves are only available in limited shapes and sizes, with some medical professionals finding them uncomfortable and a ‘poor fit’. Better fitting gloves not only increase comfort for the user but also improve dexterity.
Why a KTP is the ideal route
To create a biodegradable glove that fulfils all medical and hygiene standards required is extremely challenging.
It requires Aston University’s expertise in sustainable polymer chemistry and PFE’s commercial and clinical experience of taking new products into medical use. A KTP provides the ideal vehicle to combine these different, complementary capabilities.
PFE has proven experience of developing new decontamination and PPE products and taking them to market. However, the company lacks the specific scientific understanding to develop a new polymer with the required properties capable of creating a viable product.
The right mix of skills and facilities for this project can be found in Aston University’s Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME), a globally unique research centre which is the first of its kind to combine membrane biology and novel polymer chemistries. AIME has one of the largest concentrations of polymer scientists in the UK, with research into sustainable polymers a major focus.
What the research will involve
Key to the success of the project will be designing a polymer that can perform as required in clinical settings and be disposed of in a sustainable manner, at a comparable cost to existing disposable gloves.
The team will first determine the requirements of the clinical setting – which will differ depending on where the glove might be used – to understand the parameters within which the product needs to operate.
They will look at existing NHS waste management strategies to consider how the glove might be disposed of and what the downstream environmental impacts of that might be – for example, if it can be washed off or composted.
They will look at existing polymers to identify a formulation that might provide the necessary properties and begin initial testing. Most polymers are made from petroleum, so the research team will design a new, sustainable and biodegradable polymer, sourced from natural products such as food waste, with the properties required.
Polymers are long molecules made up of smaller units called monomers. Adjusting which monomers are present and in what order changes the properties of the polymer. Aston University’s polymer chemists have the molecular expertise to manipulate the make-up of the polymer molecules to achieve the properties they require.
The research team
Professor Paul Topham is professor of applied chemistry and director of the Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME) at Aston University. His research focuses on the design, synthesis, and application of well-defined polymer systems, including ‘smart’ polymers, sustainable materials and nanofibrous fabrics.
Dr James Wilson is a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Aston University and an associate member of AIME. His research focuses on novel biomaterials from sustainable resources that degrade safely in the environment, including for biomedical applications. His previous work includes additive manufacturing and reversible adhesives for use in healthcare.
Rob Hartley is the CEO of PFE Medical, with over 30 years of experience in improving healthcare practices through medical innovations. He founded the company in 2004, working with a team of endoscopy specialists to develop new endoscopy products. Under his leadership, the company has taken multiple innovations into clinical practice. This will be the company’s third KTP with Aston University.
What will change as a result of the KTP?
The research will generate proprietary intellectual property (IP) ready for licensing and position PFE Medical as a pioneer in ecofriendly customisable PPE.
The innovation developed through this KTP will open up new markets for PFE Medical. The healthcare segment of the UK disposable glove market is valued at approximately £255m and is expected to reach £436m by 2030.
The KTP will also embed the necessary skills in the company for it to further develop the disposable glove in-house.
Broad benefits and impacts
A biodegradable glove for use in low-risk settings within the NHS would be a significant development, reducing clinical waste, costs and carbon emissions.
It would support the NHS agenda to become a net-zero provider by supplying PPE with lower carbon impact.
The current suppliers to the UK PPE market are largely Chinese manufacturers. The team aim to develop a biodegradable glove that can be manufactured using a UK supply chain.
A biodegradable, sustainable and low-cost polymer made from food waste, that has specific properties, could have other applications in multiple settings, opening up the possibility of further products to be developed from the initial IP.
What the partners say
Rob Hartley, CEO of PFE Medical, said: “Our previous KTP with Aston was a phenomenal success, thanks to the brilliant team we had on board. I’m just as excited by this project, which is looking to solve an equally long-standing problem. If we can achieve our goal, then the implications are huge, going far beyond the NHS to all the other situations where people are wearing disposable gloves.”
Professor Paul Topham, director of the Aston Institute of Membrane Excellence, said: “At Aston University, we have a long history of working with industry to translate fundamental research into solutions for real world problems. This project with PFE Medical provides us with that route, to use our science and engineering to make a difference to peoples’ lives. That’s exactly where, as researchers, we want to be.”
Dr James Wilson, associate member of the Aston Institute of Membrane Excellence, said: “From a research perspective, this is an extremely challenging project, but it’s also really exciting because it has the potential to open up so many opportunities. It could lead to new materials with any number of applications, that can provide a more sustainable and environmental alternative to petroleum-based polymers already in use.”