A group of scientists from the Biointerfaces Institute at McMaster University are conducting a research into the compounds that are currently being used aesthetically in breath strips that melt when they come in contact with the user's tongue. These experts believe that with this type of administration, they could come up with a more cost-effective and more accessible way of administering vaccines to people in countries with lower income.
Lead researcher Carlos Filipe who is a professor of chemical engineering at the University said that his team hopes that these new vaccines will eventually eliminate the need for refrigeration during transportation or storage. "About eighty percent of the cost of vaccination is around distribution. But we are trying to get around that," he said.
With a $100,000 grant coming from the Grand Challenges Canada, the group is focusing their studies on how breath strips are able to hold up in the heat. In time, they hope to fine-tune all the aspects of their invention so that their vaccines could still effectively carry the required genetic materials without having the active ingredients deteriorate during storage or transportation. Prof. Filipe said that this is one of the major problems for vaccines, especially in places where electricity services are not very reliable, "If you think of a place like India where there are more power outages, and you keep a vaccine in the refrigerator, you never know how much of it still remains active."
The McMaster research team found that, by infusing the vaccines into a mixture that contains the edible polymer pullulan that is found in breast strips, they could preserve the live vaccines even at room temperature. Pullulan is compound that is typically derived from a type of fungus. It has found to retain a normally solid-state in the absence of any stimulation, but dissolves at a significant rate in water.
