The story of UV-HEROES® began over 14 years ago. It is a portable UV-C device designed for stethoscope hygiene. The idea was born from the team at egoHEALTH, a company founded in 2013 and affiliated with the Tuscany Life Sciences Foundation, which develops, produces, engineers, and commercializes innovative products and services with high technological content.

The story of this medical device is told by Gabriele Messina, Associate Professor at the University of Siena and co-founder of egoHEALTH:

“It all started in the most unexpected way, over 14 years ago,” recounts Professor Gabriele Messina. “I was preparing a lecture on hygiene when I came across a scientific publication that literally struck me. It discussed the poor cleanliness of stethoscopes and the risk of infections for patients. At that moment, a question ignited in my mind, first becoming a persistent thought, then a true, constructive obsession: ‘Can we really do something to change this situation?’ Since then, my mind has been a perpetually open workshop for this project. I started studying, exploring, and among all the solutions, UV light seemed to me the greatest promise. I approached the problem as only a researcher can: with a hunger for knowledge and the patience of someone who knows that every great discovery requires one step at a time.”

Click here to read the full interview with Gabriele Messina, Associate Professor at the University of Siena and co-founder of egoHEALTH.