Membrane Vesicles Unlock Potential for Freeze Dried Cell-Free Expression Tech to Mass Produce Vaccines On Site
April 22, 2021
With the new iVAX biomanufacturing platform, healthcare professionals can simply add water to a test tube with freeze-dried vaccine components. The water sets off a chemical reaction that activates the cell-free system, turning it into a catalyst for making usable medicine when and where its needed. [Justin Muir]
Share
Northwestern University synthetic biologists have developed a new way to increase five-fold the production yields of protein-based vaccines, significantly broadening access to potentially lifesaving medicines.
The newly reported work builds on the team’s recently developed iVAX (in vitro conjugate vaccine expression) cell-free gene expression (CFE) platform for vaccine manufacture, which can quickly make shelf-stable vaccines at the point of care. The latest development has shown how enriching cell-free extracts with vesicles composed of
Date Time
Membranes unlock potential to vastly increase cell-free vaccine production
By cracking open a cellular membrane, Northwestern University synthetic biologists have discovered a new way to increase production yields of protein-based vaccines by five-fold, significantly broadening access to potentially lifesaving medicines.
In February, the researchers introduced a new biomanufacturing platform that can quickly make shelf-stable vaccines at the point of care, ensuring they will not go to waste due to errors in transportation or storage. In its new study, the team discovered that enriching cell-free extracts with cellular membranes – the components needed to made conjugate vaccines – vastly increased yields of its freeze-dried platform.