Doing our part to equip scientists with the tools they need to produce a COVID-19 vaccine as fast as possible.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of society –– from the way businesses operate to the way individuals spend their own free time. We are currently living in an unprecedented moment, and, while measures like social distancing can slow the spread of the virus, only a vaccine will be able to effectively halt its progress. The development of a vaccine for COVID-19 could save millions of lives and help prevent the suffering of countless others.
At BEE International, we’re committed to doing our part to equip scientists with the tools they need to combat COVID-19 and to produce a vaccine as fast as possible. We are the leading manufacturer of high-pressure homogenizers, which can play a crucial role in developing a vaccine for COVID-19.
Researching COVID-19 Therapies and Vaccines
Vaccines stimulate the immune system to create antibodies meant to combat a virus or bacteria.
In order to produce a vaccine, scientists must generate an antigen. This is typically done by growing small amounts of a virus in various cells. From there, scientists can isolate the antigen (in this case the virus) from other materials such as proteins. After that, scientists will then attempt to purify and strengthen the antigen to produce an eventual immune-system response. The final step of the vaccination development process is scaling up to widespread distribution.
Homogenization
Homogenization is all about breaking particles apart. High-pressure homogenization involves blending, grinding, and/or mixing substances to reduce particle size and rupture cells.
Homogenization plays a part in vaccine research and manufacturing on two fronts:
- Cell disruption, also known as cell rupture and cell lysis, gently breaks open the cell walls to harvest naked intracellular viruses. Additional particles of the virus can sometimes be found in the extracellular materials as well. Homogenization disrupts cells to obtain a high yield of virus without damage or alteration.
- Water-in-oil emulsions serve as the carrier of vaccines –– the means to transport the medicine into the body and to induce the desired immune response. The stability of such emulsions greatly affects vaccine safety and efficacy. Homogenization is the most rapid and convenient method for creating emulsions that can form aggregates. In turn, those aggregates can be transported into the body and stably release therapies for the induction of immune response.
A small particle size, ideally in the nano range, within the emulsion has increased benefits in terms of rapid delivery and absorption. High-pressure homogenizers are best suited to reduce particle size. Highly controllable and efficient BEEI technology is ideally suited to develop the most efficient protocol
Entering into the development of vaccines and therapeutics, it is critical to select R&D instruments that can quickly scale up for manufacturing purposes. Thankfully, BEE Homogenizers are highly scalable. That means the same results created in the laboratory can be reproduced in pilot and manufacturing stages as well. Our homogenizers are also designed for sanitary applications and meet industry standards, validations, and regulations.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 outbreak is a difficult time for all, which is why we’re doing our utmost to work with scientists to produce a vaccine. Contact us here for more information about our products and services.
