E.T. Johnson
ReliOx Corporation,
United States
Keywords: biofilms; chlorine dioxide; controlled redox; chronic wounds; decontamination; EPS disruption; chlorite; chlorate; DBPs
Summary:
Biofilms represent a persistent challenge across healthcare and industrial environments due to their protective extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix, metabolic heterogeneity, and resistance to many conventional antimicrobial approaches. Mature biofilms limit penetration of common disinfectants and topical agents, contributing to persistent microbial colonization in settings such as chronic wound biofilm research models, device-adjacent environments, and water-system biofouling. Novel translational strategies that combine matrix disruption with controlled oxidant delivery are therefore needed. The ReliOx™ technology platform presents an intrinsically engineered, on-demand redox system that generates pH-neutral aqueous chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) at precisely regulated concentrations for targeted biofilm disruption. Unlike traditional oxidant approaches that use high-concentration bursts associated with corrosivity and handling risk, ReliOx employs resin-based precursor control to bound precursor availability and tune release kinetics within defined intrinsic safety limits. This design supports localized oxidative conditions intended to destabilize biofilm EPS while maintaining material compatibility. Chlorine dioxide is particularly relevant to biofilm work because it diffuses through EPS, selectively reacts with microbial proteins and polysaccharides, and can act on phenotypes that are metabolically tolerant or dormant. In bench and operational research settings, controlled pH-neutral ClO₂ delivery can alter EPS integrity and microbial redox homeostasis, increasing exposure of embedded microbes to downstream removal or clearance steps without implying clinical efficacy. Representative operational notes and bench studies report typical activated point-of-use concentrations on the order of ~0.08% ClO₂ (w/w) under controlled cabinet/experimental conditions; ReliOx’s resin control is intended to minimize corrosive extremes and limit residual formation. Routine monitoring of chlorite/chlorate and materials compatibility testing are recommended for translational studies to manage disinfection-by-product (DBP) risk. Overall, ReliOx offers a controlled-redox, intrinsically safe approach for research and translational decontamination applications — including chronic wound biofilm investigation and device-adjacent contamination models — providing a complementary mechanism to emerging technologies such as nitric oxide-releasing biomaterials and anti-fouling surfaces. All language is framed for research and translational contexts; no clinical or pesticidal claims are asserted.