Scottish scientists have helped develop a novel way of distributing medicines without the need for refrigeration - opening up the possibility of posting vital medicines to patients. Researchers, from the Universities of Glasgow , Manchester and Warwick , have designed a hydrogel – a material mostly made of water – that stabilises proteins, protecting its properties and functionality at temperatures as high as 50°C. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our daily newsletter , get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
The breakthrough, published in the journal Nature , could “significantly improve accessibility of essential protein-based drugs in developing countries where cold storage infrastructure may be lacking, helping efforts to diagnose and treat more people with serious health conditions”. Dave Adams, a professor at the University of Glasgow ’s School of Chemistry, said: “In the early days of the covid vaccine rollout, there was a lot of attention given in the news media to the challenges of transporting and storing the vaccines, and how medical staff had to race to put them in people’s arms quickly after thawing. “The technology we’ve developed marks a significant advance in overcoming the challenges of.
