News Archive

Our laboratory manager Henrik Gabriel recently appeared as an expert in the consumer magazine "DIE TRICKS" on NDR television. The current episode, entitled "Die Tricks der Drogerien" (The tricks of the drugstores), dealt with the question of the hygiene of the cosmetic product testers available free of charge in drugstores. A laboratory test revealed some germ contamination that makes people sit up and take notice. Everything further on "Die Tricks der Drogerien" as well as the on-demand broadcast can be found under the following link. Henrik Gabriel appears from around minute 15:14 - HERE.

Out Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion now also offers In-water surveys of boat and ship hulls. This involves systematically scanning the hull with an underwater camera to inspect the condition of the coating or certain parts of the hull (propeller, rudder, log). The resulting images and videos are processed and provided to the customer together with a corresponding inspection report in accordance with ASTM D 6990-20 in the case of a fouling inspection. This and all other services of our Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion can be found HERE.

From May 12 - 15, 2024 the 17. Congress for Hospital Hygiene of the DGKH will take place in Bonn. This year we are represented at the symposium with the following presentations:

Monday, 13 May 2024 | 13:30 - 14:30 Uhr | Genf | Raum 2 | Lunchsymposium – B.BRAUN: Was braucht die Fläche? Und was nicht? (What does the surface need? And what is not needed?)

• Testung und Klassifikation von Desinfektionsmitteln – was sind echte Anforderungen, was ist nice to have? (Testing and classification of disinfectants - what are real requirements, what is nice to have?) F. H. H. Brill (Hamburg)

Tuesday, 14 Mai 2024 | 16:00 - 17:30 Uhr | Genf | Raum 2 | Session Antiseptik

• Wirksamkeit von Desinfektionsverfahren gegen klinische Isolate der internationalen Candida auris-Ausbruchsstämme im Vergleich zum Referenzlaborstamm Candida albicans (Efficacy of disinfection procedures against clinical isolates of the international Candida auris outbreak strains compared to the reference laboratory strain Candida albicans) F. H. H. Brill, H. Gabriel, A. Ulatowski, J. Steinmann (Hamburg, Nürnberg)

The entire program and further information on the event can be found HERE.

In mid-May, you will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Kerstin Walendy-Gnirß (Director Scientific Service) in person at the DEWU Deutscher Wundkongress (German Wound Congress), the largest German forum on Chronic Wounds. We would be delighted to see you again or to get to know you at the congress in Bremen (May 15-17, 2024). You are also welcome to make an appointment in advance. Link to request an appointment by email: HERE.

On June 10, 2024, the BSH, together with the DSV and DMYV recreational boating associations, invites you to the 1st Biofouling in Recreational Shipping Round Table from 09:00 - 16:30 as a hybrid event.

We would like to cordially invite you to the First Biofouling Round Table in Recreational Boating and look forward to a direct exchange with you and interesting technical discussions. We would also like to use the event to disseminate information and to present and discuss alternative solutions for reducing fouling.

Please register by 24.05.2024 under the following link for presence or online participation: HERE.

The Lower Saxony office of the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (MCN) is organizing an excursion to Norderney together with the ZIM Antifouling Network, EurA AG and the Biofouling Research Station of Dr. Brill + Partner GmbH Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion as part of the GreenShipping Lower Saxony project. The trip will take place from August 29 to 30, 2024.

The excursion offers experts from the ZIM Antifouling Network and all interested parties the opportunity to experience the results of various antifouling technologies and measures as well as the associated test methods directly in the laboratories and outdoor test rigs of the Dr. Brill + Partner GmbH Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion research station.

In addition to a guided tour of the station, the program also includes specialist Presentations on the current status of environmentally friendly antifouling solutions and international regulations on biofouling management. An integrated workshop will also deal with current topics such as "Quo vadis anti-fouling", "Biocide-free in fresh waters" and "Washing areas for marinas" using the LSP method and will provide space to critically examine and discuss the topics.

The registration deadline for participation in the excursion is May 30, 2024. Further information and registration: HERE.

On April 16 and 17, 2024, the online meeting of Working Group 1 "human-medicine area" took place under the leadership of convenor Professor Katrin Steinhauer.

Several strategically important projects are supported by various scientists from Dr. Brill Institutes. For example, Dr. Dajana Paulmann is in charge of the development of the 4-field test in the area of virucidal testing, where data from the latest round robin test has been discussed. In addition, we are also part of the group for the qualification of reference substances for various test viruses. Dr. Florian H. H. Brill, together with Dr. Dajana Paulmann and Dr. Britta Becker, has also taken over the project management for the replacement of the poliovirus in EN 14476, which is to be completed by 2026. Additionally, Dr. Brill, together with Anna Ulatowski, is running the project to revise EN 14348 for mycobactericidal effectiveness testing. Henrik Gabriel provides significant support for the revision of the EN 14561/2/3 standards.

For Dr. Brill, involvement in these committees is a matter of course and is part of the company's DNA.

Dr. Brill Institutes offers important new support for hand disinfectant manufacturers

The Europe-wide introduction of the EN 17430 standard will revolutionize the efficacy evaluation of hand disinfectants in the medical sector.

Dr. Brill, what makes the new EN 17430 standard so important?

Dr. Florian Brill: "The standard represents a milestone in infection prevention with regard to evaluating the effectiveness of hand disinfectants. Until now, the effectiveness of these products against bacteria was tested in practice in accordance with EN 1500. Now, for the first time, the products can also be tested on test subjects against viruses. The standard therefore brings with it completely new requirements for hand disinfectants. Many products on the market now have to be tested in accordance with the standard. For us, this test procedure further rounds off our product range."

Dr. Paulmann, your laboratory team in Bremen was involved in the development of the standard for Dr. Brill Institutes and will continue to test products for customers in the future. What is so special about the new test procedure?

Dr. Dajana Paulmann: "It's a next-level test. We are testing whether the disinfectant virucides are effective on the surface of the hands. To this end, they are now being tested on at least 18 test subjects whose hands have been contaminated with the murine norovirus, which can only infect mice. Until now, the virucidal effect according to EN 14476 has only been tested in test tubes, which is not very practical because hands have a complex surface structure. Everyone on the market is familiar with the EN 1500 standard, which is used to test against bacteria. EN 17430 is the further development for testing against viruses."

For how many companies is the new standard relevant?

Dr. Florian Brill: "We can assume that between 50 and 100 manufacturers across Europe with up to 1,000 products will have to tackle the new tests. If you don't test, you risk a downgrade in the efficacy level. Products may then no longer be used in hospitals because their virucidal efficacy is no longer proven. The development of this standard began around ten years ago. We were involved the whole time - both in the experimental development of the test procedure and in drafting the text. There is no fee for this development work. But customers know that we are very familiar with the topic because we have been working on it for a long time."

How long do customers generally have to prepare for the test procedures?

Dr. Dajana Paulmann: "Companies now have 18 months to have their products tested in accordance with the new standard. The test is time-consuming and therefore takes around six to eight weeks. However, we have been offering a screening procedure for some time now, which has already been taken up. This works with five test subjects, only takes up to four weeks and provides customers with an initial impression of whether the product meets the requirements of the new test procedure. Anyone who then orders the entire test in the second step will, of course, be reimbursed for the screening procedure."

Is your development work in this area complete with the publication of the standard?

Dr. Florian Brill: "No, we will continue to work on the topic in order to ensure patient safety in the best possible way. As the new standard has so far only been tested with the murine norovirus, we are already researching other viruses for this practical test. There is definitely further research interest in this area."

The first movers started work today at our main site in the north of Hamburg. We will of course remain at our location in the beautiful Hummelsbüttel district, but will be moving into great new premises in the immediate vicinity. We are really looking forward to it! And of course we will keep you up to date with any further news about the move.

In April 2024, our Institute for Antifouling and Microbiology will be represented at the Sustainable Shipping Conference 2024, the "6. Bremer Kongress für Nachhaltigkeit der Schifffahrt", with a co-lecture entitled "Antifouling – Notwendigkeit und Perspektiven" (Antifouling - Necessity and Perspectives). Speakers: Dr. Burkard Watermann, LimnoMar, and Bernd Daehne, Dr. Brill + Partner GmbH Institute for Antifouling and Microbiology - as part of Workshop 2: Biofouling. The congress will take place in German on 22-23 April 2024, in the city of Bremen. We would be very pleased about your participation! All information on the content and for your free registration can be found under the following link:
Sustainable Shipping Conference 2024

In the brandnew paper Wiegand et al. 2024 (International Wound Journal, in press) we are presenting parts of our data from our InVitroWound project which was granted by BMBF call "Alternatives to animal testing". In cooperation with PD Dr. Cornelia Wiegand from the University Medical Center Jena we developed an infection wound model based on artificial 3D skin. In this assay we can test antimicrobial wound are products without animals on their antimicrobial, biocompatibility as well as healing performance. This is a milestone in practice-like in-vitro testing with new endpoints.

If you are interested in the data or performing such studies please feel free contacting us.

UPDATE: On 13 March 2024 the paper "A standardized wound infection model for antimicrobial testing of wound dressings in vitro" hat been published. Link: here

DR. BRILL INSTITUTES is engaged in several expert groups to contribute continuously to the scientific know-how for patient and environmental safety.

In February Dr. Florian H. H. Brill participated as Convenor of the Working Group 5 in the high-level CEN and CENELEC TC 216 plenary meeting with the who is who of efficacy testing of disinfectants and antiseptics in Lille hosted by Laboratoires Anios with Sophie Loeffert-Frémiot and led by the chairwoman Christine Roques. A number of important strategic decisions were made.

In March Dr. Florian H. H. Brill participated in the Working Group 3 meeting of CEN TC 216 in Milano. He reported from his strategic working group 5 as well as the on-going projects for developing a phase 2 step 2 test for surface disinfection with mechanical action for WG 3 applications e. g. in food and feed area with an innovative automated application procedure.

Also, in March our surface disinfection expert Anna Ulatowski will report in the German mirror committee for WG 2 and 3 on the projects of PAS 2424 into an EN method and her development of a phase 2 step 2 surface disinfection test with mechanical action using an automated application procedure. Anna's Method for better standardization of drying microorganisms was published as part of the new EN 13697 in January.