What is meant by vaccine production?

The production of vaccines stands as a pivotal cornerstone in safeguarding public health, holding the potential to protect populations from different infectious diseases.

This article offers a simple explanation of what vaccine production actually is, along with a general discussion of the relevance of vaccines in today’s healthcare sector, examples of successful vaccine types and a more detailed look at the vaccine manufacturing.

A simple definition: What is vaccine production?

Briefly said, vaccine production is the way scientists and engineers create vaccines that help our bodies fight off certain illnesses. Vaccine development consists of various process steps, like finding the germ that causes the illness, making a safe version of it, and turning it into a vaccine that can be given to many people.

Vaccine production includes lots of careful research, often including years of research and trials, following strict rules to ensure safety and effectiveness, and getting approvals from authorities before the vaccine can be used widely to protect people from infections.

Read more: What are the stages in vaccine development?

What are vaccines, and why are they produced?

Vaccines are biological substances designed to train the immune system to recognize and combat specific disease-causing pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria, without causing the actual disease.

They contain antigens that resemble the pathogen, prompting the body to produce an immune response, including the production of antibodies. This immunological memory equips the body to swiftly and effectively neutralize the pathogen upon future exposure, thereby preventing or mitigating the severity of the illness.

Arguably, the primary purpose of producing vaccines is to protect individuals and communities from infectious diseases. Vaccination not only protects individuals from falling ill but also contributes to the concept of herd immunity: By vaccinating a significant portion of the population, the spread of the disease is hindered, safeguarding even those who cannot be vaccinated due to certain medical conditions or age-related vulnerabilities.

This is how vaccines help to reduce morbidity and mortality rates associated with a wide array of infectious diseases, thereby fostering public health and well-being on a global scale.

Different types of vaccines

Vaccines are crafted using various production methods tailored to the nature of the pathogen and the desired immune response. Consequently, the production methods of vaccines depend on the respective vaccine type that is to be manufactured:

• Live attenuated vaccines: These vaccines contain weakened forms of the live pathogen that retain the ability to stimulate an immune response without causing illness.
• Inactivated vaccines: Utilizing killed versions of the pathogen, these vaccines trigger an immune response without the risk of causing the disease.
• Subunit vaccines: These vaccines employ specific antigens or protein fragments from the pathogen, excluding the infectious elements, to provoke an immune response.
• mRNA vaccines: These vaccines introduce genetic instructions (mRNA) into cells to produce a protein similar to the pathogen, prompting an immune response. Viral vectors or non-viral vectors are used as delivery vehicles to transport mRNA into the body.

Read more: What are novel methods in vaccine manufacturing?

Examples of successful vaccines

In the course of time, huge progress has been made on the field of vaccination. Today, there are countless examples of groundbreaking vaccines, each being the result of innovation and meticulous research – here’s an excerpt:

• Polio vaccine (IPV and OPV)
• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine
• Hepatitis B vaccine
• Haemophilus influenzae Type B (Hib) vaccine
• COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech etc.)

From research to market – vaccine development and manufacturing

From vaccine discovery and concept optimization to testing, regulatory approval, and up-scaling vaccine manufacturing, vaccine development ideally results in recommendations for use, followed by post-market monitoring.¹

This process ensures the vaccine's safety, efficacy, and global accessibility. It represents a collective achievement, combining scientific innovation, stringent testing, and regulatory scrutiny.

Especially – but not only – when scaling up, meeting cGMP regulations in vaccine production is crucial. Additionally, the scale-up process for commercial production can be time and resource intensive when it is not already considered in the early stages of vaccine development.

Single Use Support addresses these challenges in vaccine production by providing dedicated solutions based on single-use technologies. Liquid transfer, for instance, can be streamlined with RoSS.FILL – an automated fluid management system for vaccine manufacturers for hundreds of liters that complies with international regulations and reduces the risk of contamination due to a minimized risk for manual intervention.

In terms of cold chain management in vaccine production, Single Use Support is expert in providing freezing technologies. Its RoSS.pFTU is a freezing platform based on plate freezing in order to maintain quality and effectiveness of valuable and sensitive vaccines, preventing them from potential damages when subjected to uncontrolled freezing processes. Along with sterile consumables, storage freezers and logistic equipment, these solutions can help to optimize vaccine production workflows, making them more accessible and safe.¹