Vaccine Film

A new way to store and ship vaccines could greatly improve access to life-saving vaccinations around the world. Unlike familiar glass vials, which must be carefully refrigerated, the new technology preserves live viruses, bacteria and antibodies at ambient temperatures (68 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees Celsius) for several months.

Inspired by the ability of amber to store insect DNA, the researchers developed a hard-candy-like substance from a mixture of sugar and salt to create a film. The components are tailored to specific vaccines, but inter-mixing the ingredients is quick and can be performed with standard benchtop equipment. Up to 500 doses will fit on a standard-sized sheet. Best of all, instead of needles, the sweet-tasting film can be administered by mouth.

Tests on a typical flu virus compared favorably with vaccinations delivered by traditional flu shots. They also found that some virus strains were preserved for as long as 36 months. The next step will be to extend the temperature range to keep the films stable up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).