Meeting January 26th

January 2023 Kentucky Lake Section Meeting

The Development of Germ-busting
Light-based Technologies

Featuring Dr. Violet Bumah,
Assistant Professor of Chemistry at UT Martin

Thursday, January 26th 

at Murray State University
1212 Jesse D Jones Hall
Murray KY 42071

Dinner Catered by The BUrrito Shack:
Taco Bar w/ Chicken or Beef
Chips/Salsa/Guacamole
($10 Members/$5 STudents

Abstract:
Multidrug-resistant microorganisms (MDROs) in hospital and community environs have surged and are of concern to the health care system due to the enormous burden of increased morbidity, mortality, and cost. As a part of an ongoing effort to find a solution to this problem, a paradigm shift from antibiotic therapy, to the use of certain wavelengths and pulsed characteristics of light to inactivate these microbes is investigated.

Recently, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an innovative antimicrobial pulsed blue light technology was developed and tested. Results indicated that this device is antiviral against HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-229E—two surrogates of SARS-CoV-2. In further studies, another antiviral light panel with multiple colors—including white—that could replace light fixtures in homes, offices, clinics, and vehicles, was tested. Data obtained support the claim that, it is possible to develop and deploy a cost-effective light fixture as an environmental decontaminant that can inactivate viruses and other microorganisms.

Biography:
Dr. Violet Bumah is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Physics, University of Tennessee-Martin. Prior to joining the Faculty at UT Martin, Dr. Bumah worked as a Research Professor at San Diego State University. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. Following graduation, she was recruited as an Assistant Program Manager at the United Nations World Food Program in Cameroon. Dr. Bumah was a recipient of the Prestigious Fulbright Senior Research scholarship to the Fienberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University Chicago. Furthermore, Dr. Bumah received the Burroughs Welcome Fellowship as a Senior Scholar where she pursued her research on host-pathogen interactions and the development of potential vaccine candidate antigens against malaria. More recently, her research has focused on the mechanisms underlying the antimicrobial effects of blue light.