Peer-Reviewed Research and Clinical Evidence
LifeAire Systems
LifeAire Systems’ performance claims are supported by IRB-approved, double-blind operational clinical studies conducted in full-capacity real-world environments and published in peer-reviewed indexed journals. The research library below includes peer-reviewed publications, independent third-party studies, conference abstracts, and white papers across hospital, IVF, long-term care, and life sciences applications.
A peer-reviewed, IRB-approved study examining the impact of LifeAire's advanced air purification technology on environmental and clinical outcomes in a long-term care memory support facility over a 15-month period. The study compared a LifeAire-protected unit with a HEPA-only control unit on the same floor, measuring airborne and surface pathogen burden, facility-acquired infection rates, and staff absenteeism. Documented outcomes in the LifeAire-protected unit included an 89.1% reduction in airborne pathogens, an 88.9% reduction in surface pathogens, a 39.6% reduction in facility-acquired infections, and a 47% reduction in staff call-outs. The findings confirm that advanced air purification delivers measurable improvements in both clinical outcomes and operational performance in long-term care environments. Published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Volume 78, Issue 12, 2023. Authors: Urrutia, A.R.; Schlener, S.D.; Eid, S.; Bock, K.A.; Worrilow, K.C.
A peer-reviewed, IRB-approved operational clinical study examining the impact of LifeAire's advanced air purification technology on airborne and surface pathogen burden, hospital-acquired infection rates, patient length of stay, and healthcare economics. Conducted at St. Luke's University Health Network, the study compared a LifeAire-protected unit with a HEPA-only control unit over 12 months across 8,255 patients. Documented outcomes in the protected unit included a 99.99% reduction in viable airborne pathogens, a 97% reduction in surface pathogens, a 30% reduction in hospital-acquired infections, a 39% reduction in patient length of stay, and a 23% improvement in per-bed economics. Published in the Journal of Global Infectious Diseases, March 2023.
A peer-reviewed conference abstract examining the impact of LifeAire's advanced air purification technology on environmental and clinical outcomes in a long-term care facility. The study deployed LifeAire's system in a memory support unit and compared environmental and clinical metrics against a HEPA-only control unit on the same floor. The technology, designed to destroy the DNA and RNA of all bacteria, fungi, and viruses on a single pass while also remediating volatile organic compounds, produced measurable improvements in airborne and surface pathogen burden, facility-acquired infection rates, and staff absenteeism. Published in Innovation in Aging, Volume 5, Supplement 1, December 2021. Presented at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting. Authors: Schlener, S.D.; Urrutia, A.R.; Worrilow, K.C.; Bock, K.
A conference presentation by Dr. Kathryn C. Worrilow, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of LifeAire Systems, delivered at the LeadingAge Fall Financial Conference. The presentation examines the economic and workforce implications of facility-acquired infections in long-term care environments, addressing the financial burden of HAIs on facility operations, the impact of staff absenteeism driven by airborne pathogen exposure, and the return on investment case for advanced air purification as a proactive infection control strategy. Drawing on LifeAire's peer-reviewed clinical evidence from long-term care settings — including a 39.6% reduction in facility-acquired infections and a 47% reduction in staff call-outs — the presentation makes the financial and operational case for comprehensive airborne pathogen remediation in senior living and memory care environments. Presented at the LeadingAge Fall Financial Conference, 2023. Author: Worrilow, K.C.
A peer-reviewed, IRB-approved post-hoc synthesis of two independent clinical studies examining the impact of LifeAire's advanced air purification technology on environmental and clinical metrics in two healthcare settings: an acute care hospital medical-surgical floor and a long-term care memory support unit. Both facilities showed significant reductions in airborne and surface bacterial and fungal pathogens and VOC levels. The hospital demonstrated a 39.5% reduction in patient length of stay and 23% cost savings. The long-term care facility showed a 39.6% reduction in facility-acquired infections and a 47% reduction in staff call-outs. Published in ASHRAE Transactions, Volume 128, Part 2, June 2022. Authors: Worrilow, K.C.; Stawicki, S.P.; Schlener, S.D.; Urrutia, A.R.; Kimble, C.N.
A peer-reviewed study published in Reproductive BioMedicine Online examining the equilibrium partitioning behavior of volatile organic compounds at low concentrations in human IVF laboratory environments. Using mathematical modeling, the study investigates how airborne VOCs at trace concentrations distribute between the gas phase and biological media including culture media and embryonic cells, demonstrating the potential for molecular-level chemical contamination of the embryo culture environment. The findings support the clinical rationale for comprehensive VOC remediation in IVF laboratories as a necessary component of embryo protection. Published in Reproductive BioMedicine Online, May 2022. Authors: Fox, J.T.; Ni, P.; Urrutia, A.R.; Huynh, H.T.; Worrilow, K.C.
A conference presentation delivered at the 2021 NADSA National Conference reporting preliminary findings from a 15-month IRB-approved study of LifeAire's advanced air purification technology in a long-term care memory support facility. The study compared a LifeAire-protected unit with a HEPA-only control unit on the same floor, measuring airborne and surface pathogen burden, facility-acquired infection rates, and staff absenteeism over the full study period. Results demonstrated significant reductions in facility-acquired infections and staff call-outs in the LifeAire-protected unit. This conference presentation preceded the full peer-reviewed publication of the study's findings in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A (2023) and in the Journal of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine (2023). Presented at the 2021 NADSA National Conference, October 2021. Authors: Schlener, S.; Urrutia, A.R.; Worrilow, K.C.
A peer-reviewed laboratory study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology examining the effectiveness of germicidal ultraviolet light to inactivate human coronaviruses on N95 respirators, supporting safe PPE reuse. Researchers tested two commercially available portable GUV devices — including a LifeAire Systems unit — against three coronaviruses: HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, and SARS-CoV-2. GUV treatment achieved average viral titer reductions of 5-log for HCoV-229E, 3-log for HCoV-OC43, and 5-log for SARS-CoV-2 on respirator surfaces. The findings confirm that LifeAire's GUV technology is effective at decontaminating N95 respirators from human coronaviruses, supporting its potential to reduce nosocomial transmission. Published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, June 2021. Authors: Camargo, C.; Lupien, A.; McIntosh, F.; Menzies, D.; Behr, M.A.; Sagan, S.M.
A peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Academic Medicine examining the economic effects of advanced air purification technology on healthcare-acquired infection costs through simulated implementation across low- and middle-income regions of the globe. The study models the potential financial impact of deploying LifeAire-class air purification technology in healthcare facilities across diverse economic contexts, demonstrating the broader global applicability of the infection control and cost reduction outcomes documented in U.S.-based clinical studies. Published in International Journal of Academic Medicine, Volume 7, 2021, pages 285-286. Authors: Kelley, K.C.; Schlener, S.D.; Levicoff, L.; Stawicki, S.P.
A peer-reviewed study published in RenaRum examining the environmental and clinical effects of installing LifeAire's advanced air purification system in a hospital setting. The study measured changes in airborne and surface pathogen burden, volatile organic compound levels, and clinical outcome metrics following LifeAire installation, contributing to the growing body of peer-reviewed operational evidence supporting advanced air purification as a clinical intervention in acute care hospital environments. Published in RenaRum, 2021. Authors: Johansson, L.; Urrutia, A.R.; Huynh, H.; Worrilow, K.C.
An independent multicenter prospective randomized trial published in Fertility and Sterility comparing blastocyst development outcomes using two commercially available in-line gas filters for IVF incubators across four independent laboratories over a six-month period. The study compared the Aire~LifeLine in-line gas filter against the CODA Xtra filter, with pronuclear embryos cultured to Days 5 and 6 using laboratory-specific protocols. Results demonstrated improved blastocyst development rates with the Aire~LifeLine, as well as extended filter service life. The study provides independent, third-party evidence supporting the clinical effectiveness of the Aire~LifeLine for IVF incubator gas filtration. Published in Fertility and Sterility, 2021. Authors: Alouf, C.A.; Milette, B.; Chang, T.A.; Degelos, S.; Celia, G.
A peer-reviewed, IRB-approved retrospective cohort study examining the impact of comprehensive air purification on patient length of stay, discharge outcomes, and healthcare economics at St. Luke's University Health Network. The study compared 8,255 patients across a LifeAire-protected medical-surgical unit and a HEPA-only control unit over 12 months. Documented outcomes in the LifeAire-protected unit included a 39.5% reduction in patient length of stay, improved discharge metrics, and 23% cost savings per patient bed. The study confirms a direct relationship between advanced air purification and measurable improvements in both clinical and economic hospital performance. Published in Surgery, September 2020. Authors: Stawicki, S.P.; Wolfe, S.; Brisendine, C.; Eid, S.; Zangari, M.; Ford, F.; Snyder, B.; Moyer, W.; Levicoff, L.; Burfeind, W.R.