Münsterland company in action against Corona

Since the outbreak at the beginning of 2020, the Corona pandemic has presented societies and health systems with massive new challenges. Companies, scientists and researchers from the Münsterland region are also making their contribution in the fight against the global pandemic. Thanks to new products, innovative services or remarkable research. A selection.

• The family-owned company Hengst SE from Münster is a specialist for technologically leading filtration solutions. In April 2020, Hengst converted its production and has since produced a large number of respiratory masks worldwide.
• The automotive supplier OKE Group GmbH from Hörstel also converted its production in April 2020 and produced one million mouth-nose masks per day.
• Mondi Gronau GmbH from Gronau has been producing surgical masks since mid-2020. The company produced up to one million masks per day in the meantime.
• Medical Shield GmbH & Co KG in Ahaus, which belongs to the Shield Group, was founded in April 2020. The company offers high-quality FFP2 masks and protective equipment.
• When there was a shortage of FFP2 and FFP3 masks in spring 2020, Franz Ziel GmbH from Billerbeck developed a process to re-sterilise used masks. This enabled doctors, nurses and rescue workers to reuse their masks germ-free.
• At Münster University of Applied Sciences, an interdisciplinary group of scientists was commissioned by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices to research how FFP2 masks can be safely reused in private use. The result is a brochure that shows consumers how and with which methods they can disinfect their FFP2 masks.

• To ensure the safety of all guests at events or in office buildings, Elanko Medien- und Sicherheitstechnik GmbH from Heek has developed a contactless fever display that enables access control with a temperature monitoring terminal. Thanks to a memory for facial images and temperature information, the data can also be traced more easily.
• The SafetyGate from the company Taalex Systemtechnik GmbH in Stadtlohn combines the functions of hand disinfection and contactless fever measurement. The electronics are IoT-capable and can be flexibly adapted to customer requirements.
• With the help of the GoVivet customer traffic light from PAN direct GmbH & Co KG from Warendorf, organisers can carry out effective access controls.

At WWU Münster, Prof. Dr Stephan Ludwig is researching a drug against the coronavirus at the Institute of Virology Münster (IVM). Stephan Ludwig originally developed the drug against influenza. Clinical tests are currently being conducted to determine how effective it is against the coronavirus. Recently, the drug has been administered to a larger group of patients with severe corona infections in various clinics in Germany, but also in South Africa and India. The drug inhibits the multiplication of the viruses and should prevent patients in intensive care units from slipping into very severe courses.

The research group of Prof. Dr. Ursula Rescher from the Centre for Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE) at the Medical Faculty of the WWU Münster is also researching an antidote for COVID-19. Ursula Rescher is investigating whether the already approved active substance fluoxetine can be used as a drug against COVID-19. The drug fluoxetine, better known under the product name "Prozac", has been available as an antidepressant since 1988. In cooperation with the Institute of Virology headed by Prof. Stephan Ludwig at the ZMBE, the team found out that fluoxetine inhibits both the uptake of SARS-CoV-2 viruses and their further spread in the cell culture model without damaging cells. The active substance could thus potentially be used for antiviral therapy.