Advances in the field of vaccines have transformed the prevention of many health conditions and helped in improving quality of life. For example, HPV vaccines such as Gradasil® (Merck & Co) has reduced the probability of precancerous abnormalities by 34% in young adults (20-24 years). However, the cost associated with such sophisticated healthcare (Gradasil® costs ~US$ 360 for three-course vaccination) increases the financial burden on patients and healthcare systems, particularly in low-income regions. On a compassionate basis, Merck is selling Gradasil® to GAVI at a break-even cost of US$4.50/dose to reach low-income countries. However, for affordable and sustainable vaccination, studies indicate that the per-dose cost should be as low as US$1- 2.
In the need for a long-term strategy to provide affordable vaccines, implementation of continuous processing can lead to faster and more efficient utilization of chromatographic matrices, thereby lowering the cost of goods (COGs). Implementation of process analytical tools (PAT) for monitoring process variations and evaluate its impact on product quality attributes will ensure the robustness of continuous operations and reduce the chances of failure at the manufacturing scale.
Project: Development of PAT based control strategies.
Project-2
2019
Location IIT-D
Activities:
Outcomes:
2020
Location UQ
Activities:
Outcomes: Research paper-1
2021
Location IIT-D
Outcomes:
2022
Location IIT-D
Activities:
Outcomes:
Background in bioprocessing, chemical engineering, protein purification or protein chemistry is desirable.
Chemical Engineering.