Transportation and Supply Chain

Edwin Asturias of Children's Hospital Colorado in the U.S. will test a mobile phone short message service (SMS) system that will provide messaging texts to parents of infants in Guatemala in an effort to improve timely immunizations, increase vaccine acceptance, and provide a tool for reporting of side effects.

Lisa Ganley-Leal and Pauline Mwinzi of Epsilon Therapeutics, Inc. in the U.S. will test the hypothesis that selling vaccines through medicine shops in emerging markets can lead to profits for both vaccine developers and the small business owners. Demonstrating profitability may lead pharmaceutical companies to invest greater resources in vaccine development and distribution and develop local partnerships for profitability strategies.

Spyridon Tsakas of Eulysis UK Limited in the United Kingdom will test an innovative single vial system (SVS) technology that allows for easier transport, reconstitution, and storage of vaccines with lyophilized components. Data gathered on its packaging, transportability and in situ lyophilization potential will help optimize the technology for safe vaccine delivery to the developing world.

Payal Kamdar of VSolvit in the U.S. proposes to develop a customizable Geographical Information System web application platform that integrates existing data in a particular region (e.g., population, locations of vaccines stores, health care facilities, transportation options, even weather) to maximize delivery of vaccines to target populations.

Arun Ramanujapuram of Logistimo, Inc. in India proposes to develop a mobile-phone based "bulletin-board" for capturing and broadcasting availability and demand information for vaccines and medicines. By bringing real-time visibility to these essential goods, stock can be appropriately redistributed to areas of need, and waste can be reduced.

Anup Akkihal of Logistimo Inc. in India proposes to develop a cloud-based mobile supply chain platform that allows real-time data to be accessed by mobile phone and web-based applications enabling information sharing and optimized decision support that can maximize immunization coverage for children worldwide.

Seth Kalichman of the University of Connecticut in the U.S. will establish an internet-based global monitoring and rapid alert system for finding, analyzing, and counteracting misinformation communication campaigns regarding vaccines to support global immunization efforts.

Nithya Ramanathan from Nexleaf Analytics in the U.S. will develop a low-cost mobile phone-based device to remotely monitor the temperature of refrigerated units that store and transport temperature-sensitive vaccines and drugs. In Phase I, they produced and tested a simple prototype temperature-sensing device and associated software that enables the wireless uploading of accurate temperature data for real-time monitoring, along with the ability to send SMS alerts upon reaching critical temperatures.

Steve McCarney of the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) in the U.S. proposes to accelerate the development and field testing of two solar powered, battery-free icepack freezers to provide a missing link in the cold chain where outreach efforts require frozen packs to cool vaccines during transport and immunization sessions.

Richard Gilstrap of Innovar Scientific Inc. in the U.S. will develop and test a device for rapid detection of freeze-damage in widely used adjuvant-type vaccines. This device could provide critical information needed for cold-chain optimization and effective immunization programs.