Thermostable vaccines: an innovative concept in vaccine development

Introduction: Vaccines represent he most common and safer ways of combating infectious diseases. Loss of potency owing to thermal denaturation or degradation of almost all the vaccines necessitates their storage, transportation, and final dissemination under refrigerated conditions. However, maintenance of a continuous cold chain raises the costs of vaccines significantly. A large number of life-saving vaccines are discarded before their application owing to exposure to sub-optimum temperatures. Therefore, there is a pressing need for the development of a thermostable vaccine with a long shelf life at ambient temperature. Areas covered: A literature search was performed to compile a list of different vaccines, and their storage and handling conditions. Similarly, a separate list was prepared for different coronavirus vaccines. A literature survey was also performed to look at different approaches undertaken globally to address the issue of the cold-chain problem. We emphasized the importance of yeast cells in the development of thermostable vaccines. In the end, we discussed why thermostable vaccines are required, not only in resource-poor countries but also for resource-rich countries. Expert opinion: Temperature change can severely impact the stability of various life-saving vaccines. Therefore, there is a pressing need for the development of thermostable vaccines with a long shelf lives.