About Singletto
Singletto was founded to translate frontline clinical research into a new class of materials-applied antimicrobial technology.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Singletto co-founder James (Jim) Chen, MD, a neurosurgeon with decades of experience applying photodynamic approaches across multiple medical disciplines, developed a hypothesis that these principles could be applied to face masks and other protective materials. The hypothesis emerged from a clinical reality: materials worn for extended periods in real-world settings can accumulate microbial exposure during use, yet are typically designed only as passive barriers.
Together with Singletto co-founder Thomas (Tom) Lendvay, MD, a pediatric surgeon, this hypothesis was advanced through global research efforts organized with the support of the World Health Organization. These studies focused on clinically relevant, mask-based assays designed to examine pathogen inactivation under real-world conditions.
Scientific Foundation
The initial WHO task force–organized research, known as the Development of Methods for Mask and N95 Decontamination (DeMaND) study, brought together a global consortium of academic, public health, and government laboratories. The work was conceived and led by Drs. Chen and Lendvay and published in leading peer-reviewed infection control journals, including Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology (ICHE) and the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC).
This body of research established the scientific foundation for Oxafence Active Protection™ and demonstrated the feasibility of a materials-applied approach designed to support antimicrobial performance during use – not solely before or after exposure.
The DeMaND study and related publications are available through peer-reviewed journals, as cited above.
From Research to Recognized Platform
As the research progressed, it became clear that the implications extended beyond emergency decontamination. The work pointed to a broader opportunity: enabling active antimicrobial performance directly within materials, opening categories that had remained largely inaccessible to traditional antimicrobial approaches.
As Oxafence evolved into a platform technology, it attracted interest from government and institutional partners seeking new approaches to biological risk. Singletto was selected to participate in U.S. Department of Defense–supported initiatives, including DARPA’s Personal Protection Biosystem program, which evaluated next-generation approaches to warfighter protection from biological threats. The technology was subsequently recognized and selected for the Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative (EEI), which selects and supports DARPA-performer platform technologies with demonstrated potential to unlock new classes of solutions.
In 2024, Oxafence Active Protection™ was incorporated into its first FDA-cleared (K231741) mask product, manufactured in partnership with Prestige Ameritech, marking a key regulatory milestone for the platform.
Singletto Today
Today, Singletto develops and licenses Oxafence Active Protection™, a materials-applied ingredient technology designed for integration into existing products and manufacturing processes. The company’s focus is on enabling new capabilities in materials, not on manufacturing end products.
Singletto works with research, manufacturing, and distribution partners across healthcare, operational, and emerging application areas where traditional antimicrobial approaches have struggled to scale.