- University researchers reveal invention of simple manufacturing method which has enabled rapid scale up of vaccine manufacturing in 15 countries around the world, reaching people across seven continents
- Approach provides a template for faster and more equitable supply of other vaccines
Today, as AstraZeneca reports 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine released for supply University of Oxford scientists explain how it has been possible to produce so much of the vaccine in less than a year, and the unprecedented strategy used to improve international equity of access.
Despite its extensive experience of vaccine development, the University had never manufactured more than a few thousand doses of any single vaccine until 2020. A new paper, published in collaboration with AstraZeneca in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, tells the story of how a key discovery just before the start of the pandemic unlocked the possibility of large-scale manufacturing.