Stabilised vaccines

The British technology has the potential to revolutionise vaccination efforts, particularly in the developing world where infectious diseases kill millions of people every year, by removing the need for fridges, freezers and associated health infrastructure.

The work was funded by the Grand Challenges in Global Health partnership with other funds from the Wellcome Trust.

Preparing vaccines that do not need refrigeration has been identified as one of the major unsolved problems in global health.

’Currently vaccines need to be stored in a fridge or freezer,’ explained Dr Matt Cottingham of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University. ’That means you need a clinic with a nurse, a fridge and an electricity supply, plus refrigeration lorries for distribution.

’If you could ship vaccines at normal temperatures, you would greatly reduce cost and hugely improve access to vaccines,’ he said. ’You could even picture someone with a backpack taking vaccine doses on a bike into remote villages.’