16-Apr-2021 | Market Research Store
According to Asel Sartbaeva her latest invention that is ensilication technology is predicted to help store and make transportation of pediatric vaccines to low-income countries very easy. The vaccines need to be stored at desirable temperature to avoid getting contaminated. It has been studied that the vaccines remain stable between 2°C ‑ 8°C. Generally, at room temperatures the biological molecules tend to degrade and thereby making the vaccine ineffective. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the distribution of vaccines to poor, remote, or dangerous places were considered next to impossible due to the high demand for maintenance of low temperature. Thus, there have been many situations wherein millions of children and people across the globe are denied the life-saving inoculations.
The University of Bath researcher thus found it necessary to make the vaccines available for everyone across the world. Studies have shown that almost 25% of the vaccines get degraded on the time of their arrival to the respected destination. As per the WHO, there are approximately 19 Million babies who have no access to the needed life-saving vaccinations. The idea of using silica to stabilize vaccines is interesting even though it may sound crazy. The ensilication method could help tailor-fitting the vaccine through sol-gel process. The silica coats are formed using the orthosilicic acid which is a result of the hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate. This compound mixed with a protein forms network forming clusters and thus protein-loaded silica powder could help store vaccines for long-term.
The testing of the silica powder has shown to render complete protection to the protein against all. The ensilication can help store the vaccine for a month at room temperature and also make transportation easier. This technique could help make availability and storage of pediatric vaccines to low-income countries to slowly eliminate the vaccine-preventable diseases.