Vaccines have been a critical component of health and medicine throughout history, especially in recent years. They have been utilized to combat a variety of diseases, and vaccine technology continues to progress due to diligent research efforts. However, certain aspects of the vaccine, notably transportation, are not accessible to everyone. Scientists are working to change this, looking at the microscopic water bear to help resolve this issue.
What are water bears?
Water bears, also known as tardigrades, are tiny aquatic animals that are famously “indestructible”. These tiny invertebrates are just 0.5 millimeters long, yet they can thrive in extreme conditions; they have survived in hot temperatures, severe dehydration and even in space. They can be found virtually everywhere, from deserts to the Arctic. Countless experiments have been performed on water bears, and now scientists are looking to utilize the creatures in health-related matters, especially in vaccines.
How can they help vaccines?
Vaccines are a tool that can be used to prevent various diseases, protecting people around the world. However, the current vaccine transportation method - the “cold-chain” - is flawed, and researchers are looking to replace it. Like the name suggests, this practice is essentially a chain of temperature-controlled facilities that keep vaccines effective and ready to use. However, this method is costly and not accessible, as many regions don’t have the money to buy equipment to keep the vaccines cool.
Therefore, many want to employ an alternative method to preserving vaccines, and one interesting proposal involves water bears. Scientists from the University of North Carolina (UNC) have discovered why water bears are able to survive in dehydration. The animals produce proteins called tardigrade disordered proteins (TDPS), which are unique to the species.
Following this finding, scientists realized that they could potentially utilize the animal’s TDPS to preserve and freeze-dry vaccines or other pharmaceuticals. This would mean that these biologics could thrive in room-temperature environments, something that would not be possible without the usage of TDPS, which protects them against dehydration.
Why does this matter?
This procedure will significantly alter the current vaccine transportation and storing methods. Currently, many places don’t have access to refrigeration to keep these vaccines and biologics properly cool. Employing water bears’ TDPS has the potential to make vaccines more readily available to underserved, rural, and developing regions worldwide.
Additionally, the TDPS is a more eco-friendly technique compared to the cold-chain. There will be no need to waste electricity to keep the vaccines viable, and the process costs significantly less.
These strange-looking micro-animals have the potential to completely change the current vaccine landscape. Water bears could possibly impact billions of individuals through their contributions to the human vaccine, shaping the future of global health.
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