A neglected problem
This project expands on the Vaccine Identity Evaluation (VIE) Consortium, work that started in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic out of concern that this otherwise neglected problem could impact COVID-19 vaccines when they became available.
MQRG is based at the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (part of the Nuffield Department of Medicine) as well as the Mahidol Oxford Research Unit (MORU). For this project, MQRG worked with the University of Oxford Departments of Biochemistry and Chemistry, the Lasers for Science Facility at the Central Laser Facility (CLF) to successfully repurpose a CLF-invented technique to detect degraded and falsified vaccines in supply chains.
The CLF technique
The technique, called Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) , was invented and developed by Professor Pavel Matousek and his team at the CLF's Lasers for Science Facility. SORS is now a globally recognised commercial detector which has been applied in sectors such as food, pharmaceutical, and security. Notably, this includes in airport security in the UK and Europe continuously since the 2000's, and during the football World Cup in the USA in 2026 at host cities airports.
Real-world testing
The three-year grant expands this collaboration to also include the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria’s Obafemi Awolowo University Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Oxford University’s Department of Engineering, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the University of East London and MORU, Thailand. The project will conduct extensive further development and assessment research of the devices followed by their near-to-real life evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis in Nigeria.
Head of MQRG, Professor Paul Newton said “The planned surge in research into this neglected public health problem will provide vital evidence to plan implementation of screening devices to verify the quality of our vaccine supply, ensuring effective vaccination and enhancing public trust.”
