For Immediate Release
Ashland, MA. (April 9, 2020) – MatTek Life Sciences has pivoted a portion of its labs and staff to producing hand sanitizer to help meet the demand due to the spread of coronavirus. This week, the company began compounding of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer following World Health Organization guidelines.
MatTek’s lab staff and equipment will be able to produce more than 2,000 liters per week and has already donated hundreds of liters of its first batch to local hospitals and first responders in Massachusetts.
The company’s EpiAirway tissues are currently being used for COVID-19 research, but with the production of hand sanitizer, MatTek has found more ways to contribute to solutions to the crisis. The hand sanitizer is also available for sale to the public in MatTek’s online store.
“We knew that we had the staff, equipment, knowledge, and will to contribute in other ways, and with so many of our partners in the healthcare field in need of this product, it was an easy decision to take up the effort to close those gaps in availability,” said Alex Armento, president, and CEO. “We would not have been able to help meet the need for hand sanitizer without the incredible efforts of our staff who pivoted into sanitizer production in a matter of days.”
MatTek Life Sciences was founded in 1985 and began producing human tissue models as reliable replacements for animal testing. MatTek’s skin, ocular, oral, respiratory, and intestinal tissue models are used to assess safety and efficacy throughout the cosmetics, chemical, pharmaceutical, and household product industries. These advanced tissue models empower companies to achieve their goals of non-animal testing while lowering testing costs and providing human-relevant results. The company has expanded its offerings to include cultureware, primary human cells and media, 3Diy kits, and testing services in support of its mission to advance innovative in vitro science through the production of synergistic life science products and services.
