Indore: RRCAT scientists develop Photo disinfection device for ear, nose infections

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 21 : Scientists at Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), a unit of Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, located in Indore have developed two Photo disinfection devices to cure infections caused in ear and nose.
The device made for ears has been named "Earolight" and for nose has been named "Nasolight". The device will be launched in the market soon. Is clinical trial has also been conducted on various patients by the doctors of Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Indore. The infection of the patients on whom this device was tested was cured quickly.

Director of RRCAT, Dr Shankar V Nakhe said, "In our incubation centre we have made two devices named 'Earolight' and 'Nasolight' which work on photodynamic therapy to destroy bacteria, fungi and viruses through phototherapy. A special photosensitizer is sprayed in ears and noses, it sticks to the place of microorganisms growing and then a proper wavelength light is thrown on it through the device which reduces the infection."
He further said that they worked with MGM college for the clinical validation of the device. MGM college has taken trials on patients. It will be a personalised device and it can be used multiple times.
Photodynamic therapy has been in existence for a long but the specific and personalised device made for ear and nose is made for the first time in the country, he added.

RRCAT scientist Dr Shovan K Majumder, who worked on the device said, "We have launched two devices Nasolight for nose infections and Earolight for ear infections. The infections are caused due to microorganisms (there are three types: bacteria, virus and fungus). Normally, antibiotics are used to destroy these microorganisms. The side effect of antibiotics is that microorganisms become resistant to antibiotics due to which we are not able to kill them again. That's why this device has been developed."
Photosensitizer is sprayed in the nose and ear and then put the LED plug in for a certain period of time mentioned in the guideline. Thereafter the microorganisms will be destroyed, he added.
"We have performed its clinical validation in the ENT department of MGM college and at a private lab in the city. We have found good results. During the study in MGM college, two groups of patients were treated simultaneously, one with antibiotics and another with the device. The result found that antibiotics treatment took more than three weeks while patients treated with the device completely recovered in just three days. It was also found that patients treated with antibiotics suffered from re-infection and while no re-infection happened in the patients treated with the device," Majumder said.
Earolight is the first such device in the world while Nasolight was developed in the US but there is no such device in India yet. Soon it will be available in the market, he added.