British-Bangladeshi scientist invents spray to fight Covid, bags order worth Tk118cr

Sadia Khanom, a young Bangladesh-born British scientist, has invented a groundbreaking disinfectant spray to fight Covid-19 which has already bagged Tk118 crore or £10m worth of orders.

The spray called 'Voltique' attracts and kills all pathogens on any surface it is applied to for a fortnight.

The invention has been hailed as a 'breakthrough' for the pandemic after being trialled globally by the likes of the NHS and NASA.

Pilot hospitals and care homes have collated positive data – with swabs confirming that all treated surfaces have become completely free from pathogens, including Covid-19.

It is now being taken on by a number of governments and blue-chip companies.

The 26-year old began developing the spray after she put her PhD on hold and worked in her parents' restaurant "Cafe India". There she studied the virus on a nanomolecular level and created different equations to find the perfect formula to kill it. The restaurant was used as a field of the case study where she tested the efficacy of her invention on all surfaces, from leather to wood to fabric.

Voltique is a nanoscale disinfectant barrier that can be used across multiple industries on all surfaces – making them 100% Covid safe for 14 days whilst saving up to 70% on staff cleaning and disinfectant product bills.

The concept was devised following eight months of research from Sadia, who was about to take a PhD in Alzheimer's Research and neurodegeneration when the pandemic struck.

Instead of following that next step in her medical career, she drew on her existing science, genomic medicine and geneticist degree education to try to find a solution that would kill Covid-19.

Sadia told Manchester Evening News, "I've been obsessed with science from an early age and as a child, I'd often ask for extra homework. My passion piqued at the age of 14 when my grandfather developed Alzheimer's and from then on I have made it my mission to prevent the disease".

"I have a strategy to find an early intervention of Alzheimer's, however, my restriction has been lack of funding, so I decided that by creating something like Voltique I could create a solution for Covid whilst funding my Alzheimer's research at the same time."

After creating Voltique, Sadia contacted Colin Hagan – a vastly experienced scientific innovation and development professional – to help get the product into the mainstream.

Colin said: "The potential of Voltique is eye-watering and it could become a revolutionary product across all industries including medical, hospitality, aviation, marine and nuclear."The implications are massive, with every surface the spray is applied to being 100% Covid safe for 14 days following application."

"It represents a huge step for Covid safety and it will save businesses money on disinfectants and cleaning hours too."

With huge scope to save lives and save money on disinfectants, the product is currently being considered by Principles in 14 different countries.

Sadia said, "Naturally, I'm delighted that my extensive research has led to something so groundbreaking, but for me, it has always been about the intention and my passion for using science to make the world a better place."

"It is not about financial gain for me, but I am very excited about the prospect of making enough money to self-fund my Alzheimer's research. I am determined to one day fulfil my dream of finding early prevention of Alzheimer's in the name of my grandfather, so I can help save others from the same genetic disease that he has suffered from."