Byotrol Secures UK Patent for Bug Busting Biocide and Looks to Finance Major Expansion.

MANCHESTER, England -- Byotrol, the Manchester based company which last year launched a biocide that promised to take the battle against superbugs such as MRSA to a new level, has been granted a UK patent for its product, also called Byotrol.

The news comes at a time when hospital infections such as MRSA are high on the Government and media agenda and it represents a significant milestone for the company which was set up in 2001 as a spin-off venture from Manchester based paint manufacturer HMG.

And the granting of the UK patent, with patents pending in nine other countries including the USA, Europe, Canada, Australia, China, India, Singapore and South Africa, represents a major step for the company.

Byotrol is looking to expand rapidly in the healthcare, food processing and industrial markets on the back of the patent being granted and is currently in discussions with a number of major customers and potential distribution partners.

Byotrol offers a number of benefits over conventional bacteriocides because it can deal effectively with drug resistant strains, continues to be effective for up to 7 days after application, is virtually harmless to humans and animals and is formulated from substances which have a very low environmental impact. It is effective against a variety of bacteria, algae, fungi and viruses including MRSA, SARS, Norwalk, TB, Hepatitis, HIV-1, E. Coli, Legionella and Listeria.

Because the chemicals used in the production of Byotrol are well known as biocides, the regulatory hurdles the company has to clear are less stringent than if they were bringing an entirely new compound to market. Byotrol is not a new compound, but is a new product architecture that dramatically improves the performance of existing substances.

Since launch, the company has secured customers as far afield as the USA, South Africa, Europe and Scandinavia and it is also well advanced with approvals within a number of countries.

In the UK, the Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association Group has certified the product as suitable for use in the food processing industry. Further afield, The South African Bureau of Standards and Icelandic Fisheries Laboratories have both approved the product for use in the agricultural and fisheries industries respectively.

It has also undergone numerous safety and efficacy tests as part of an ongoing approval process by the Environment Protection Agency in the USA. The company is currently in the process of securing key additional regulatory approvals that will open up substantial further market opportunities.

Commenting on the granting of the patent, Byotrol Director and co-inventor Stephen Falder said, "Byotrol represents a new approach to microbial control. The UK patent is a major milestone for us and we are well advanced with patent applications in a number of other territories. We have identified a significant demand for Byotrol and the level of customer interest to date highlights the commercial opportunity. We are now on the cusp of significant growth and we have appointed Merchant Capital to assist us in evaluating options to finance this growth."

Byotrol: How It Works

The breakthrough that makes Byotrol unique is that it uses a combination of the laws of physics and chemistry to halt the march of bacteria.

Byotrol has a three stage effect on bugs and it uses changes in surface tension as the basis of its attack on bacteria. Surface tension has a huge effect on small things and a small effect on big things. The effects of Byotrol on the bugs are deadly, but the process only has a measurable effect on the tiniest of living organisms and is therefore harmless to humans and animals

Byotrol interferes with the conditioning of the surface, such as a wall or table, before the bug lands, making it more difficult for the micro organism to settle on the surface and stay there and reproduce.

When the bacteria secretes material in an attempt to form a biofilm, (ie what is needed for it to stick to the surface) the secretion compounds - proteins, polysaccharides or oily type materials - are all disrupted by the pervading surface tension regime, making it much more difficult or impossible for the bug to form a firm attachment to the surface.

Finally, the bug, in its weakened state, succumbs to the gentlest of biocidal action provided by the associated biocides contained within Byotrol. These are not heavy duty compounds, but when acting on such a tiny life form as a micro organism, they cause the bug's membrane to burst before it has a chance to reproduce.

Merchant Capital:

Merchant Capital Plc is a London based corporate finance and strategic advisor specialising in growth companies.