Matregenix patented nanofiber transparent masks has been selected as finalist of the Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Agency (BARDA) Mask Challenge Phase II. BARDA, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), launched the phase II of an innovation challenge competition on December 6, 2021, encouraging American inventors to aid the nation in responding to public health emergencies by designing effective, comfortable face masks for personal use that resolve the common concerns people have about wearing masks.
The innovative development of the mask will provide superior performance compared with conventional N95 and its transparency will help most vulnerable communities who have been facing communication and social interaction difficulties without recognition of facial expressions and emotions, such as, children on the autism spectrum, elderly persons with limited hearing and deaf-mute persons. At the same time, it will also be compatible for human face recognition system today, for instance, identity authentication of phones, online shopping and consumption, and public transportation. In addition, the scalability of Matregenix nanofiber production capabilities will provide a quick adaptability to mass produce this novel mask to US markets.