Protein storage and transportation breakthrough

Researchers from the Universities of Bath and Newcastle have created a new method to ensure vaccines can be stored and transported without refrigeration.

This novel method, ensilication, encases the proteins in silica, a non-toxic and inert material, and can keep the proteins intact at temperatures up to 100°C. Getting vital medicines to remote or dangerous places could become easier, cheaper and safer as a result of this.

Dr Asel Sartbeva, from the University of Bath who led the project, said: “Once the proteins in a vaccine break down and tangle up, it's useless. You can think of it like an egg that's been boiled -- it can't be unboiled. We have demonstrated with ensilication that we can simply and reliably keep proteins from breaking down even at up to 100°C, or store them as a powder for up to three years at room temperature without loss of function.”

Traditionally vaccines are transported and stored in what is known as a cold chain, the aid of refrigeration. Breaks in the cold chain lead to huge losses of vaccines for programmes such as immunising children in the developing world.

When a protein in solution is mixed with silica, silicon dioxide binds closely around the protein to match its shape, before encasing it. This method, unlike many other alternatives, doesn’t require freeze-drying, a process that half of all vaccines cannot survive. The ensillicated protein can also be stored at room temperature for at least six months with no loss of function.

Dr Sartbeva said: “We're very excited by the potential applications of ensilication and our next steps will be to test our findings on more vaccines, antibodies, antiviral and anti-venom drugs and other biopharmaceuticals.”  The paper was published in Scientific Reports.

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