The Role of Photonics Technologies in the COVID-19 Vaccine Development - December 2020
On December 10, 2020, the Pfizer’s mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine designed to fight COVID-19 passed a critical milestone when an F.D.A. advisory panel of experts formally recommended that FDA authorize the vaccine.
From gene-sequencing to vaccine assessment to packaging, photonics forms the essential technology in the development of a safe and efficient vaccine to fight COVID-19.
The high-throughput sequencing of the virus genome determine the proteins in the virus and identify suitable targets for synthetic vaccines that safely stimulate an immune response. High-quantum-efficiency, very-high-resolution multispectral cameras map the sequences of hundreds of millions of target DNA molecules simultaneously and can sequence the complete genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in just a few hours.
Assays are fundamental in immunogenicity and evaluation of the protection of any vaccine. Multiple assay technologies such as ELISA, ELISpot, viral-neutralization assay, heavily rely on optics and photonics. Inverted optical microscopes, spectrometers, as well as optical and lasers systems that are used in flow cytometers, play a critical role in the understanding of immune response to the exposure to the specific antigen.
The vast majority of all COVID-19 vaccines will be stored and applied from Borosilicate glass vials that will be delivered by Schott,- the global leader in glass and optics products. The company has been working round the clock to meet unprecedented demand. Chemically inert borosilicate glass can safely handle a wide temperature range from -80C to 500C, which is handy considering the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at -70C degrees.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, photonics technologies have provided effective, low-cost, high-speed solutions for screening, testing, treatment, tracking disease progression, sterilization, and vaccination.
Reference
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/health/covid-vaccine-pfizer-fda.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/health/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine.html
https://news.mit.edu/2020/rna-vaccines-explained-covid-19-1211
https://www.fda.gov/media/144325/download
https://www.osa-opn.org/home/newsroom/2020/april/optics_photonics_and_covid-19/
https://www.labmanager.com/insights/assay-development-vaccines-997
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7267461/
https://www.us.schott.com/english/news/press.html?NID=com5812
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-11-german-vials-spotlight-covid-vaccine.htm
From gene-sequencing to vaccine assessment to packaging, photonics forms the essential technology in the development of a safe and efficient vaccine to fight COVID-19.
The high-throughput sequencing of the virus genome determine the proteins in the virus and identify suitable targets for synthetic vaccines that safely stimulate an immune response. High-quantum-efficiency, very-high-resolution multispectral cameras map the sequences of hundreds of millions of target DNA molecules simultaneously and can sequence the complete genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in just a few hours.
Assays are fundamental in immunogenicity and evaluation of the protection of any vaccine. Multiple assay technologies such as ELISA, ELISpot, viral-neutralization assay, heavily rely on optics and photonics. Inverted optical microscopes, spectrometers, as well as optical and lasers systems that are used in flow cytometers, play a critical role in the understanding of immune response to the exposure to the specific antigen.
The vast majority of all COVID-19 vaccines will be stored and applied from Borosilicate glass vials that will be delivered by Schott,- the global leader in glass and optics products. The company has been working round the clock to meet unprecedented demand. Chemically inert borosilicate glass can safely handle a wide temperature range from -80C to 500C, which is handy considering the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at -70C degrees.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, photonics technologies have provided effective, low-cost, high-speed solutions for screening, testing, treatment, tracking disease progression, sterilization, and vaccination.
Reference
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/health/covid-vaccine-pfizer-fda.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/health/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine.html
https://news.mit.edu/2020/rna-vaccines-explained-covid-19-1211
https://www.fda.gov/media/144325/download
https://www.osa-opn.org/home/newsroom/2020/april/optics_photonics_and_covid-19/
https://www.labmanager.com/insights/assay-development-vaccines-997
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7267461/
https://www.us.schott.com/english/news/press.html?NID=com5812
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-11-german-vials-spotlight-covid-vaccine.htm
