In the second episode of our interview series, Behind SafeTouch: Meet the Consortium, we speak with Txema Marimon from Donostia University Hospital (Biogipuzkoa).
Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, SafeTouch aims to revolutionise hygiene through the development of smart, self-decontaminating microfilms for high-touch surfaces in hospitals, public spaces, and transportation.
As SafeTouch’s clinical partner, Biogipuzkoa leads real-world validation in hospital environments, assessing safety, usability, and the impact of iST on everyday infection-prevention workflows.
Pathogens can survive on door handles, bed rails, switches and other touchpoints for long periods. When rooms are re-occupied, Txema notes that “the next patient has around 25% chance to acquire an infection” in settings where a previous patient had a hospital-acquired infection. Antimicrobial resistance worsens the risk, making infections harder to treat and increasing mortality, so prevention is critical.
Even with regular disinfection, surfaces are touched again and quickly re-contaminated. Continuous, manual cleaning is hard to sustain and costly for staff and hospitals. That’s where iSafeTouch (iST) comes in: a smart microfilm approach designed to automatically decontaminate after each touch, reducing transmission risk and easing operational workload.
“We need systems that provide continuous surface disinfection… every time someone touches the surface, it’s decontaminated again. This means safer stays for patients and a lower burden for healthcare workers.”
Txema highlights that surface hygiene also protects staff and visitors who can carry pathogens into the community. The same approach could benefit public transport and other busy public settings, especially during flu seasons or coronavirus waves.
Watch the full interview to hear Txema’s perspective on prevention, continuous disinfection, and why SafeTouch matters for hospitals and beyond.
This interview is part of the Behind SafeTouch: Meet the Consortium video series, where we introduce the people and expertise shaping this innovative project
