The UK government has awarded a £1.7 million contract to Ensilicated Technologies Ltd (EnsiliTech), a University of Bath spinout company dedicated to
making vaccines safer, to develop the world's first thermally stable mRNA vaccine.
mRNA vaccines have a huge potential to prevent infectious diseases and a range of previously unpreventable conditions, but currently, these vaccines require
ultracold storage, needing to be kept at -70 or even -80 °C.
The company's ensilication technology allows vaccines and other biological materials to be transported and stored without the use of refrigeration.
Dr Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and CEO at EnsiliTech, believes that the technology could save tens of thousands of lives every year.
She commented: "We're so proud to have won this important government grant."