University of Oxford Engineers Validate Room-Temperature Drying Technique to Eliminate Vaccine Cold Chain

Oxford engineers develop MART-drying, a room-temperature technique that stabilizes vaccines and proteins in sugar-based glass, eliminating the need for cold storage.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 3, 2026, 11:09 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Higher Education Press

Overcoming the Global Logistics of the Cold Chain

The reliance on a continuous "cold chain"—a specialized network of refrigerated transport and storage—remains one of the most significant barriers to global healthcare equity. Traditional protein-based drugs and vaccines rapidly degrade when exposed to heat, leading to high wastage rates in regions with unreliable electricity. Researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science have now validated a transformative alternative that locks these delicate biomolecules into a stable, sugar-based state at room temperature, effectively bypassing the need for constant cooling.

The Mechanics of Matrix-Assisted Room-Temperature Drying

The newly developed MART-drying process, led by Professor Zhanfeng Cui, utilizes a mixture of protective sugars, including trehalose and dextran, to coat a biocompatible cellulose fiber matrix. Unlike conventional freeze-drying, which involves a damaging freezing step, this technique dries the solution at roughly 30°C using either circulating air or a vacuum. As the moisture evaporates, it creates microscopic "capillary bridges" between the fibers, forming thin glass-like films that gently encapsulate the proteins and preserve their complex three-dimensional structures.

Proven Stability Across Diverse Biological Targets

To confirm the efficacy of the MART method, the team tested it against four temperature-sensitive biological targets, including enzymes used in COVID-19 diagnostic tests and growth factors for stem cell research. The results were highly consistent with traditional frozen storage. For instance, the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase retained more than 90% of its activity after six months of storage at 25°C. Even more impressively, a cell-growth-promoting factor remained fully functional after being stored at 40°C for an entire week, matching the performance of samples kept in ultra-low temperature freezers.