PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
of America
(Accessed 14 July 2012)
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/recent

Stabilization of vaccines and antibiotics in silk and eliminating the cold chain
Jeney Zhanga,b,1, Eleanor Pritcharda,1, Xiao Hua, Thomas Valentina, Bruce Panilaitisa,
Fiorenzo G. Omenettoa, and David L. Kaplana,2
+ Author Affiliations
aTufts University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Medford, MA 02155; and
bTufts University, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Medford, MA 02155
Edited by Arnold L. Demain, Drew University, Madison, NJ, and approved June 12, 2012 (received for review April 12, 2012)

Abstract
Sensitive biological compounds, such as vaccines and antibiotics, traditionally require a time-dependent “cold chain” to maximize therapeutic activity. This flawed process results in billions of dollars worth of viable drug loss during shipping and storage, and severely limits distribution to developing nations with limited infrastructure. To address these major limitations, we demonstrate self-standing silk protein biomaterial matrices capable of stabilizing labile vaccines and antibiotics, even at temperatures up to 60 °C over more than 6 months. Initial insight into the mechanistic basis for these findings is provided. Importantly, these findings suggest a transformative approach to the cold chain to revolutionize the way many labile therapeutic drugs are stored and utilized throughout the world.