The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is partnering with Jurata Thin Film, Inc. (Jurata) to create a thermostable mRNA vaccine film that will be delivered under the patient’s tongue.

CEPI will provide up to $1.2 million to support the technology.

Thermostable vaccines remove the need for frozen storage.

“Jurata aims to improve vaccine accessibility to remote regions by stabilising the 3D structure of mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccine materials, provided by Quantoom Biosciences, part of Univercells, into a thin thermostable film, thereby removing frozen storage needs,” a press release explains.

A “needle-free delivery option” may reduce vaccine hesitancy and enable self-administration.

Acting Director of CEPI’s Vaccine Manufacturing and Supply Chain Ingrid Kromann said, “Vaccine distribution is just as important as vaccine development in response to an emerging crisis – so, while mRNA quickly became one of the technological ‘shining stars’ during the COVID-19 pandemic, global access to doses was majorly hindered by its frozen storage needs.”

Jurata’s films “have the potential to transform the way in which we store, deliver, and distribute mRNA vaccines,” Kromann added.

CEPI was founded in Davos, Switzerland in 2017 and is funded by the Norwegian and Indian governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The organization was the “result of a consensus that a coordinated, international, and intergovernmental plan was needed to develop and deploy new vaccines to prevent future epidemics.”