Cold Storage, Shipping, and Covid-19 Vaccines: Why it Matters
A Story of Delicate RNA and an Even More Delicate Supply Chain
Temperature requirements are a big deal in the cold storage industry. If the temperature of a given shipment falls too far above or below the acceptable range, it can cause previously perfect goods to degrade in quality, possibly losing the ability to be sold along the way.
This is especially true of the new vaccines developed to fight Covid-19. These vaccines rely on cutting-edge techniques that preserve the delicate messenger RNA that makes the vaccine work. Even so, the vaccine still must be stored at sub-zero temperatures to prevent the shape of the sugars and molecules from being destroyed and becoming useless. Just a few minutes at room temperature, and the tiny vials thaw, leaving them fresh for only a few more days.
Vaccines made from mRNA can be made much faster than older vaccines could, explains Margaret Liu, a vaccine researcher who chairs the board of the International Society for Vaccines and specializes in genetic vaccines. The problem, says Liu, is that mRNA is “really easily destroyed, and that’s because there are many, many enzymes that will just break it apart.”- Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, “Morning Edition”, November 17, 2020
