Why Vyv

Vyv is a new class of clean light technology that harnesses the antimicrobial power within the visible light spectrum. Vyv stops the growth and kills* bacteria, fungi, yeast, mold and mildew. Unlike UV light, Vyv is fine for us to be exposed to anytime and without any restrictions. Vyv lights are built to continuously reduce microbial growth to keep our indoor environments and surfaces clean.

Vyv’s proprietary antimicrobial light technology is cleaning surfaces virtually everywhere we go today – from healthcare and athletic facilities, food & beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturing, travel and hospitality to products for our homes, in our workplaces, our schools, in automotive, horticulture and beyond.

We’re proud of our many patented innovations, and we continue to invent, with a constant flow of new patents pending.

Check out Vyv Invent for the full complement of technical, scientific, engineering and marketing expertise we offer along with our technology.

The single diode is well suited for antimicrobial applications in large areas like overhead lighting in surgical suites, or in small spaces like behind an elevator button or inside a consumer product.

Vyv’s single diode offers all the benefits of LED lighting — sustainable energy-efficient operation; extended lifetime to reduce waste; and precise color spectrum tuning—while maintaining its intensive antimicrobial properties.​*

Built for easy integration, Vyv Lighting Control Systems offer –​

• Full integration with standard lighting controls for easy installation that’s simple and most cost-effective
• Highly adaptable design for retrofitting existing lighting configurations and applications​

The earliest publication citing the antimicrobial efficacy of the 400-420nm region of visible light was at the Royal Indian Engineering College in London in 1892, where filters were used with sunlight to determine their germicidal properties. The major difference between UV-C light and Vyv’s violet-blue visible wavelengths is that only Vyv meets the international standards for continuous and unrestricted use around humans; where UV is dangerous to humans.

Vyv’s antimicrobial light wavelengths initiate a photo-reaction with endogenous non-iron porphyrin molecules found only in microorganisms. The porphyrin molecules are photo activated. Vyv’s light frequencies excite the porphyrins, causing a break-off of excess Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). This causes irreparable damage within the cell, ultimately destroying the cellular membrane from the inside out.

Vyv attacks the cell from multiple vectors preventing the cell from building up any new defenses against this form of attack. This is unlike approaches used with antibiotics that can cause germs to mutate and develop resistance.

Use Vyv anywhere and get a new kind of continuous antimicrobial cleaning.

In 2017, for the first time in its history, the World Health Organization issued a wake-up call about the growing threat of “superbugs” developing resistance to antibiotics.

This drastic step was driven by indisputable global dynamics:

• the general overuse of antibiotics
• a lack of innovation and drug discovery to counter act superbugs
• the realization that many bacteria have adapted to existing antibiotic remedies
• the diminished efficacy of existing methods of disinfection

A 2019 CDC report on antibiotic resistance states that 3 million Americans face antibiotic-resistant infections every year, resulting in an estimated 35,000 deaths.

These pathogens are spread through both human transmission and environmental contamination. They are a pervasive threat in health facilities, homes, public spaces and work environments. Increased antibiotic resistance leaves people highly vulnerable to illness, with limited defenses. Antibiotics have long been relied upon to combat infections. During the past two decades this once powerful medical tool has become significantly less effective. Why?

Antibiotic medicines target specific proteins in germs, which have adapted over time increasing resistant to these drugs. Making matters worse, drug discovery has not kept pace. Between 2008 – 2012 only two new antibiotics received U.S. FDA approval, compared to sixteen between 1983 – 1987. The situation is so dire that the World Health Organization considers the threat of antimicrobial resistance comparable to the threat of climate change.

The pandemic has awakened the world to the dangers we face. Our leading scientists have been telling us about this for years.

Current cleaning methods – typically intermittent mopping and wiping surfaces with antimicrobial cleaning agents – are generally inefficient and rarely remove anywhere near 100% of microbes on surfaces. The gaps between cleanings are all opportunities for microbial growth.

More sophisticated, disinfection techniques are also available: bursts of ultraviolet (UV-C and Far UV- C) light, high pressure-high heat washdowns, vapor-bombing with hydrogen peroxide and more.

What these approaches all have in common – they are initially effective but only for an intermittent time. None work continuously.

When a new germ is introduced without Vyv, the rising curve shows an increase in microbial buildup over time. With Vyv, microbes become inactivated and die over time. This difference is that an inhospitable environment is created through our new kind of continuous prevention.

UV light occurs in the 100-380nm frequency range, and is separated into UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C based on wavelength. The wavelengths that are most germicidal and commonly used for sterilization or disinfection occur from 200-280nm, which is known as UV-C.

UV-C light works as a disinfectant by penetrating the nucleus of a microbe, destroying nucleic acids and disrupting DNA structures. Damaged DNA accumulates, leaving cells unable to perform vital functions, causing cell death. UV-C damages DNA in the cells of all living things – people, animals and plants. Exposure to doses of UV-C light is simply not safe for humans because it can cause sunburns and lead to skin cancer and eye disease.

UV-C should only be used in unoccupied areas or within an enclosed space with no risk of human exposure. UV light impacts materials by breaking down the chemical bonds in plastics, rubber, insulation and other similar materials. This leads to rapid aging and deterioration and potentially costly repairs or replacements.