The Importance of mRNA Vaccines, and how the Correct Lyo and Fill/Finish Equipment can Support your mRNA Ambitions

Currently within the vaccine and pharmaceutical production sectors, one of the main focusses has been on utilising single strand mRNA in vaccines to maximise on its advantageous properties during the development phase, such as its integral role in protein synthesis and its adaptability in both the number and type of antigenic determinants it encodes. This makes it an attractive tool compared to ‘conventional’ vaccinology development methods. However, it does come with some challenges, the biggest of which being the temperature that mRNA needs to be kept at, which is below -20ºC; you may remember that storage temperatures being one of the key issues facing the initial rollouts of the Astra Zeneca & Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19.

When approaching vaccine development and production that incorporates the use of mRNA, a pragmatic and efficient way to resolve these challenges is to use lyophilisation or freeze drying to create a stable product that has controllable storage and cold-chain transportation properties, whilst retaining the product viability. This allows the vaccine to be kept at higher temperatures for longer, increasing stability of the vaccine and reduce running costs of low-temperature storage. When looking at upscaling your production, investing in correct equipment can save time, money and increase productivity as well.

This article from Biopharma Group explores the importance of how the selection of appropriate lyophilisation and fill/finish equipment in relation your vaccine development can lower batch rejection, increase production efficiency, and reduce long-term costs. In addition, it explains how to scale-up your production from early-stage R&D with freeze dryers through to ensuring your manufacturing and packaging production capabilities enables adaptability to market demand.

Click here to read the full article.