Project Lead(s): Hanif Montazeri
Issue
In order to retain potency, vaccines must be kept cold during storage. As a result, vaccinations must often be administered to patients upon delivery or risk losing function.
Remote areas in LMICs lack the electricity infrastructure to reliably preserve vaccines leaving children without their necessary vaccinations.
Cold boxes are used by many NGOs; however, they lack the ability to preserve vaccines for an adequate amount of time.
Solution
An electricity-free cold storage box was developed in order to properly preserve vaccines for long periods of time in rural areas.
Outcome
The final prototype was able to preserve vaccines for up to 16 days, which is 2-8 times longer than other cold boxes on the market.
The team recognized that this technology could be used in conflict zones, as well as food storage.
Due to the short timeframe the prototype has yet to undergo trials.
NuPhysics has filed for patents and is seeking additional funds. The organization has met with NGOs in hopes of securing future partnerships.