UD scientists have developed an inexpensive, nonchlorine-based technology that can remove harmful microorganisms, including viruses, from drinking water. UD’s patented technology delivers a chemical “knock-out punch” to a host of notorious pathogens, from E. coli to rotavirus.

OrphageniX Inc., a new biotechnology company founded by University of Delaware researchers, has been established in Wilmington to develop and commercialize UD-patented technologies for repairing genes that cause rare, hereditary diseases such as sickle cell anemia and spinal muscular atrophy.

UD researchers have invented a novel biomaterial with surprising antibacterial properties that can be injected as a low-viscosity gel into a wound where it rigidifies nearly on contact — opening the door to the possibility of delivering a targeted payload of cells and antibiotics to repair the damaged tissue.