Australian researchers have developed a technique to transport vaccines without the need for refrigeration, which will allow more affordable and equitable access, the Australian government scientific agency (CSIRO) reported Tuesday.
The CSIRO team of scientists encapsulated a series of live virus vaccines, which depend on temperature for preservation, with a dissolvable crystalline material called MOF (metal organic framework).
This made it possible to protect the integrity of the vaccines for up to twelve weeks and at temperatures of up to 37 degrees Celsius, according to a CSIRO statement, which recalls that without refrigeration, the vaccines would only last a few days.
The research published in the scientific journal Acta Biomaterialia, ensures that the new technique is more efficient than the approach to keep the vaccine from heat, which consists of modifying the drug through a complex and laborious process, which also only keeps the sera with viruses for a few days. alive.
CSIRO researcher and author of the paper, Ruhani Singh, said: “This world-first approach to stabilizing a vaccine with MOFs is simple, fast and scalable because it is done in a single step.”
The World Health Organization estimates that at least 50 percent of vaccines are wasted each year in the world, mainly due to lack of facilities and temperature control, so the CSIRO researchers say that this technique it can contribute to equitable and affordable access for all nations.
For the MOF study, the CSIRO team focused on two different types of live virus as proof of concept, a Newcastle disease vaccine designed to protect poultry and a strain of influenza A.
CSIRO scientist Daniel Layton said future research will focus on the preservation of other animal and human vaccines, including mRNA vaccines against Covid-19.
“Live virus vaccines are extremely effective, but their complex composition makes them susceptible to high temperatures, and no universal stabilization technique has been found,” Layton said.
The technique developed by CSIRO consists of encapsulating the virus with the MOF to protect the vaccine molecules against thermal stress and then dissolving it with a solution so that the drug can be administered. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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