Proceedings of the Food and Drug Administration public workshop on pathogen reduction technologies for blood safety 2018 (Commentary, p. 3026)

Atreya, Chintamani; Glynn, Simone; Busch, Michael; Kleinman, Steve; Snyder, Edward; Rutter, Sara; AuBuchon, James; Flegel, Willy; Reeve, David; Devine, Dana; Cohn, Claudia; Custer, Brian; Goodrich, Raymond; Benjamin, Richard J.; Razatos, Anna; Cancelas, Jose; Wagner, Stephen; Maclean, Michelle; Gelderman, Monique; Cap, Andrew; Ness, Paul

Recent studies have demonstrated the application of violet-blue light for safe, continuous environmental decontamination 173 and its potential for wound decontamination. 174 These antimicrobial applications are made possible due to the safety advantages of these non-UV light wavelengths. Unlike UV light, which induces direct DNA-based damage and/or oxidative damage in exposed microbial cells (depending on the exact UV wavelengths used), inactivation by violet-blue light involves the excitation of endogenous photosensitive porphyrin molecules found within exposed microbial cells. 175 Although less germicidally efficient, research has demonstrated that these lower-energy violet-blue 405-nm photons are particularly suited to decontamination of sensitive blood components and have potential operational advantages. A recent study 176 demonstrated the antimicrobial potential of 405-nm light for decontamination of key bacterial pathogens in blood plasma, with a complete 5-log reduction of Staphylococcus aureus in plasma using a dose of approximately 360 J/cm 2 . Importantly, antiviral potential has also been demonstrated in plasma, with a successful 5-log reduction of calicivirus after a 561 J/cm 2 light exposure. 177 A major finding demonstrated by the study 4 was that the higher penetrability of 405-nm light photons facilitates decontamination of prebagged transfusion products. Results showed significant antimicrobial efficacy within sealed plasma transfusion bags, with approximately 99% inactivation of S. aureus contamination in plasma achieved using low irradiance light at a dose of 144 J/cm 2 . Similar antimicrobial results were presented demonstrating successful decontamination of prebagged PLT suspensions, at comparative dose levels to those used with plasma.