Thermostable vaccines to enable global immunization

With GLOBEVAC we present a novel solution to make vaccines thermostable, enabling global immunization by avoiding the need for cold chain logistics.

Vaccines are one of the most successful public health interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases.

To ensure the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine, the production and distribution of almost all vaccines require what is called a cold chain, where the vaccine is continuously kept below certain threshold temperatures, sometimes as low as 80C.

The need for such a cold chain inhibits cost-efficient and rapid distribution of vaccines and significantly reduces immunization in low resource settings.

Our GLOBEVAC approach consists of storing the vaccines in a novel formulation making them thermostable for weeks when kept at temperatures as high as 40C.

Preliminary in vitro data has shown that our GLOBEVAC solution can be applied for several classes of vaccines: GLOBEVAC formulated adenovirus-based vaccines and vaccines based on enveloped viruses, that were stored at 40C, were as active and functional as the fresh ones kept at -80C. In this ERC PoC we will technically validate our novel formulation for different classes of vaccines.

Next to that, we will explore the commercial potential of GLOBEVAC by developing an intellectual property strategy and performing an extensive market analysis that will finally lead to the development of a tailored business strategy.