TAMPA, Fla. — In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and a shortage of personal protective equipment nationwide, a Bay area manufacturer is turning its production capabilities away from synthetic cadavers and turning towards making respirator masks.
- SynDaver known for making synthetic cadavers, frogs for dissection
- Company plans to manufacture 1 million masks for U.S. distribution only
- Company plans to manufacture other PPE, as well
SynDaver, known for manufacturing synthetic human cadavers and animals for simulation purposes, is manufacturing respirator masks to help front line health care workers fight COVID-19.
"[We're] Marketing them as something that is both better than nothing and better than homemade equipment that is lose fitting," said Dr. Chris Sakezles, CEO and Founder of SynDaver.
Sakezles said the manufacturing is happening right here in Tampa.
"We’re shipping them out of the same warehouse our synthetic humans and K9s come out of," he explained.
The company will make one million masks that, according to them, seal to your face.
"They’re Merv 13 filters," said Sakezles. "They have a level of protection that will filter out things like mold and bacteria and particles that carry viruses."
These masks will only be distributed in the USA.
"We’ll be prioritizing first responders in our shipments, but aside from that, it’s going to be on a first-come, first-served basis here inside the U.S.," Sakezles said.
SynDaver isn't stopping with respirators, either. They have plans to manufacture more PPE to help a nation currently in need.
"We’re going to be building a lot of other things here in the U.S. that are currently being made in China," said Sakezles. "We designed a ventilator about ten years ago ... we’re looking into manufacturing those, too."
"I’m a patriot myself," he added. "I see my country hurting and I want to help."
SynDaver says the respirators are all American-Made, high-quality but are not marketed as FDA approved.