University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers and three local companies are helping to address a provincial shortage of hand sanitizer using a bioprocessing facility on the USask campus to temporarily produce sanitizer and key ingredients, while the business group gears up for larger-scale production.聽聽
The USask Bioprocessing Pilot Plant was producing hand sanitizer鈥攗p to 400 bottles a day鈥攗ntil a week ago when local firm Bioriginal Food & Science Corp., secured a license to set up its own manufacturing facility to produce the hand sanitizer in larger quantities. As the business group lead, Bioriginal is selling the sanitizer to the Saskatchewan Health Authority at a discounted price to help protect health-care workers from COVID-19.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 not the role of the university to be a long-term manufacturer, but we鈥檙e happy to help out in this emergency,鈥� said Angela Bedard-Haughn, associate dean of research at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. 鈥淲ithout our help, the companies wouldn鈥檛 have been able to manufacture this product until May or June.鈥澛犅�
Over the past couple of weeks,聽USask聽researcher Martin Reaney has been working with the three companies鈥攊ncluding a聽USask聽spin-off led by Reaney himself鈥攖o formulate sanitizing products, verify quality, and produce hand sanitizer at the bioprocessing facility using a standard, government-approved formula, followed by two additional new preparations. USask has also played a pivotal role in the production process design, application for licenses, and implementation of testing protocols.聽聽
鈥淎ll聽of this has been developed and transferred to industry in just a few short weeks, bearing in mind that product quality is of the utmost importance and cutting corners is not acceptable when it comes to health products,鈥� said聽Reaney, a Saskatchewan聽Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program Chair.聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 no other place where this could happen in Saskatchewan. We can do this at USask because of our expertise, our specially equipped bioprocessing facility, and the analytic capabilities of the university鈥檚 Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre.鈥澛犅�
Reaney, chief executive officer of USask spin-off Prairie Tide Diversified, said his lab and Prairie Tide have been working with the Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre on the verification analysis.聽聽聽
Bioriginal, which rapidly invested in specialized packaging equipment, fronted the costs of the product ingredients and quality verification analytics. The firm聽has obtained federal Natural Products Numbers (NPN) so that three sanitizer products鈥攁 sanitizing gel for hands, a surface sanitizer聽that replaces rubbing alcohol聽for medical uses, and a workplace sanitizer for equipment鈥攃an be sold as licensed products deemed safe, effective and of high quality.聽The products聽are聽sold under the name BioTide.聽聽聽
A key ingredient鈥攅thanol鈥攊s being produced by Lanigan firm Pound-Maker Agventures Ltd.,聽which runs an聽integrated feedlot and fuel ethanol facility.聽The USask Bioprocessing Pilot Plant is equipped to deal with flammable materials so is ideally suited to work with ethanol, Reaney noted.聽聽
鈥淭he launch of this sanitizer business in Saskatchewan has created a couple of jobs for USask grads as analytical technicians and about 15 bottling jobs,鈥� said Reaney. 鈥淒ue to low fuel prices and reduced demand, ethanol plants are struggling to maintain production and in some cases have closed. This venture provides the Lanigan ethanol plant with the ability to operate at capacity, providing local employment and a value-added market for grain.鈥澛�
The collaboration came about after the SHA put out a recent call for help with supplying protective supplies for health workers dealing with COVID-19 cases.聽聽
鈥淥ver the past two weeks, we have moved heaven and earth to make this product happen in a way that meets all regulations in Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Health Canada and other federal agencies have been very helpful in expediting this,鈥� Reaney said.聽
Unique to Western Canada, the聽USask聽Bioprocessing Pilot聽Plant has聽industrial-grade scientific equipment designed to isolate and extract compounds from various plants and crops for聽commercial聽applications in areas such as biofuels, crop development,聽and natural health products.聽Co-operative research and development with industry partners is a mandate of the facility.聽
Reaney鈥檚 team and collaborators from across campus plan to apply for federal, provincial and industrial funding to undertake related research projects.聽
鈥淲e plan to do further research because we have some unique Saskatchewan-based natural products with which to make better gelled hand sanitizers,鈥� he said.聽
