The UK company is part of a multinational specialist provider of cleaning solutions for consumer, commercial and institutional users. They are currently looking for partnerships to further develop agents against the spores of C. difficile.
Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming bacterium that is a costly problem for healthcare environments, causing patients to suffer diarrhoea of varying severity. When it encounters unfavourable conditions (such as being outside the body), it forms an endospore that has increased resistance and enables it to remain viable for many months. The spores are easily transmitted between contaminated surfaces or hands by patients and/or healthcare workers and are not destroyed by most chemical disinfectants or antiseptics. Whilst some solutions (e.g.10% bleach) retain some ability to inactivate the C. difficile spores, the aggressive nature (odour, degradation of surfaces and effect on skin) means they are limited in their application.
The complex and protective structure of the C. difficile spore contribute to its environmental and chemical stability. The spore core and outer layers (i.e. coat, cortex) contain different elements such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and peptidoglycan that protect against stresses such as ultraviolet and chemicals. The spore protects the bacteria until it senses specific effectors (germinants) and environmental conditions are appropriate, allowing the C. difficile vegetative (actively growing) bacteria to emerge (i.e. germinate).

Potential solutions may come from commercial development, academic research or defence applications (e.g. decontamination/protection against anthrax), and could include means of:
- Treating the spores that eliminates the potential for infectivity;
- Rendering bacteria spores susceptible to conventional disinfectants that are already effective against vegetative bacteria;
- Treating the bacteria or spore so that it is irreversibly locked into its spore form.