Fast Company: Scientists are racing to design a face mask that can rip coronavirus apart

UC expert explains how mask technology keeps COVID-19 from spreading

Fast Company interviewed Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the UC College of Medicine for a story on efforts by scientists to design and produce face masks that are effective against the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Fichtenbaum and Jassiel HIV study in lab.

Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the UC College of Medicine who talked to Fast Company about methods for designing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand

Fichtenbaum says one of the ways in which COVID-19 is spread is through nose and mouth secretions and probably by airborne transmission. 

“If somebody were to sneeze or cough, the mask should not fall off their face," he told Fast Company. "So you have to know whether the copper or other chemically enhanced masks have the same ability as an N95 mask to form a tight seal and whether there are sufficient layers to prevent droplets or airborne particles from getting through.”

Read the entire article here.

Lead graphic/iStock.

Impact Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.

Stay up on all UC's COVID-19 stories, read more #UCtheGood content, or take a UC virtual visit and begin picturing yourself at an institution that inspires incredible stories. 

Related Stories

1

New vending machine helps people with addiction

October 8, 2026

The University of Cincinnati's Daniel Arendt was featured in a Spectrum News report on a new harm reduction vending machine installed at the IPM Food Pantry in partnership with the Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.

3

Defying the demographic cliff

October 7, 2026

Despite the looming demographic cliff, the University of Cincinnati and five other major Greater Cincinnati universities grew enrollment this fall, with UC reaching a record 54,437 students, helped by strong first-year demand.