Full Text:
Researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) have devised a system to speed up the process of making life-saving vaccines for new viruses. Their concept is to create the biological machinery for vaccine production en masse, put it in a freeze-dried state and stockpile it around the country.
Then, when a new virus hits, labs can simply add water to a “kit” to rapidly produce vaccines. The research demonstrates the ability to store the drug and vaccine-making machinery for more than a year. The research team’s idea is a new angle on the emerging method of “cell-free protein synthesis,” a process that combines DNA to make proteins needed for drugs (instead of growing protein in a cell). In their system, the majority of the work is done beforehand so vaccine kits can be ready to go and be activated at the drop of a dime.Image credit: Mark Philbrick/BYU Photo
