(ORDO NEWS) — The study showed that the method developed by Australian scientists preserves the integrity of vaccines at temperatures up to 37 degrees Celsius for three months.
Now it will be possible to reduce the cost of transporting vaccines, and the drugs themselves will not “die” on the way to people who need them.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 50 percent of vaccines are wasted each year. And one of the key factors behind these losses is the problem of maintaining vaccines at stable low temperatures.
Most vaccines need to be stored between 2-8°C to prevent degradation. Some vaccines, especially newer mRNA preparations, need to be stored at even colder temperatures well below freezing.
In a new work, scientists have figured out how to increase the allowed temperature. To do this, they developed a porous, soluble crystalline nanomaterial known as an organometallic framework (MOF).
If we bring the particles of this substance closer, we can see that it looks like a kind of hollow sphere and resembles one of the modifications of carbon – fullerene.
Such material covers the vaccine molecules, protecting them from thermal decomposition until the very moment of drug administration. Before administration, such a vaccine is mixed with a solution harmless to humans, which destroys nanoparticles and releases the active substance.
To test the new technique, the researchers turned to a pair of widely used live virus vaccines. These two vaccines, one for poultry disease and the other for influenza, usually break down within a few days if not refrigerated.
Successful experiments showed that MFC coatings protected both vaccines for 12 weeks both at room temperature and at temperatures up to 37°C. Comprehensive imaging showed that the vaccines are still viable after three months of storage under these conditions.
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