Thin Film Technology to Revolutionize Vaccine Distribution
University of Texas College of Pharmacy spawns start-up Jurata Thin Film.
Austin, Texas (Sept. 29, 2020) – Jurata Thin Film, a company focused on revolutionizing how biologics are shipped and stored, is bringing to market a new technology that allows biologics and vaccines to be packaged, shipped and stored at room temperature for extended periods of time. The first-of-its-kind technology enables up to 500 doses of vaccine to be placed on a single wafer-thin, 8.5" x 11" sheet of film, weighing one-hundredth of a pound (5g).
Known as MSI-TX Thin Film™, the technology represents a fundamental shift in biologic packaging and storage technology that removes the need for specialized storage containers and -80º C (-140º F) freezers that today are required to ship and store biologics.
MSI-TX Thin Film also removes the dependency on mass quantities of glass vials (currently in short supply) and removes virtually all distribution limitations. If the biopharma industry embraces and successfully integrates the technology into their manufacturing and finishing processes, the result will be accelerated delivery and access to vaccines for COVID-19 and other diseases for all 7.8 billion people in the world at substantially less time and cost with the same therapeutic quality and payload potency.
MSI-TX Thin Film is a proprietary surfactant-stabilized cellulose matrix material, first published in 2015 by Maria Croyle, RPh, PhD, and her laboratory at the University of Texas College of Pharmacy, in Austin, TX. The film itself, as well as the transfer and reconstitution process have been thoroughly tested and are now ready for commercial use. This research advancement spurred the formation of Jurata Thin Film, headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with research & development taking place in Austin, Texas.
“This is truly groundbreaking technology that can fill a critical need to meet the packaging and distribution challenges for COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Croyle. “8,000 uncut sheets of MSI-TX Thin Film can hold more than four million vaccine doses, can be distributed in envelopes through standard shipping methods to anywhere in the world and stored in a two-drawer file cabinet under a desk. Using current technology, this same amount of vaccine would require a 20-foot temperature-controlled container at either -20°C (-4°F) or -70°C (-94°F) to keep the vaccine viable.”
In addition, MSI-TX Thin Film allows the same amount of vaccine and other biologics to be delivered at room temperature in less than one percent of packaging volumes presently required. Large films can be manufactured in about eight hours with therapeutic payload evenly distributed throughout each sheet of film. Films can be produced at any size with a wide range of dosages to elicit the appropriate therapeutic effect. The pioneering technology provides many advantages over current biologic fill, finishing and distribution methods, including:
- No loss in therapeutic potency of film stored at room temperature for up to three years with no need for specialized freezers or refrigeration
- Single dose solutions cut from film can be rehydrated in most widely used solutions in less than 15 minutes
- After rehydration, the therapeutic remains stable for eight months at room temperature
- Regardless of temperature exposure, MSI-TX provides ≥90% viral payload even through multiple freeze/thaw cycles
- Film stability and payload potency remain consistent at extreme temperatures and has been validated at -80º Celsius (-112º F), 37º Celsius (98.6º F) and 60º Celsius (140º F)
According to The International Air Transport Association (IATA), it is estimated that delivery of one dose of COVID-19 vaccines to the world’s 7.8 billion people will require 8,000 jumbo jet cargo planes. As most COVID-19 vaccines in development require two doses to develop immunity, the required 15.6 billion doses needed likely doubles IATA’s estimated number of cargo planes to 16,000. Based on the mass, weight and volume of doses required to meet the needs of every human on earth, Dr. Croyle adds, “We can deliver the same two dose volume of therapeutic on MSI-TX Thin Film to anywhere around the globe in four cargo planes without any specialized shipping or storage needs. That is significant.”
“We are working to advance the commercial application of MSI-TX Thin Film and integrate it with manufacturing processes, thereby removing major supply chain and logistic challenges currently associated with distributing biologics,” said Megan Livingston, the Director of Business Development for Jurata Thin Film. Ms. Livingston added, “Since current supply chain logistics cannot support bringing vaccines or biologics to patients, they instead may have to travel great distances to receive treatment. With this technology breakthrough, vaccines and biologics can now be delivered safely and quickly to any patient anywhere on earth.”
About Jurata Thin Film
Founded in 2019, Jurata Thin Film, Inc. is a privately-held biomedical device company working to revolutionize the way vaccines and biologics are stored, distributed and delivered to all who need them around the world. Jurata’s leading material, MSI-TX thin film, can be stored at room temperature for up to three years prior to reconstitution and for up eight months after reconstitution while maintaining therapeutic payload potency. MSI-TX has also been proven to protect its cargo even when exposed to extreme temperatures, as is often the case during shipping and distribution. This technology could remove the need for cold chain logistics in vaccine and biologic transport and storage, while exponentially reducing the space required to store these lifesaving therapies. Parties interested in learning more about or partnering with Jurata Thin Film should email their interest to info@juratatf.com.
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Release published on PR Newswire - 09/29/2020
Jurata Thin Film Recognized in World Changing Idea Awards
Fast Company recognizes Jurata's thin film technology for its potential to revolutionize industry
AUSTIN, Texas, May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jurata Thin Film, Inc. has been announced today as a finalist in Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards in the categories of Developing World Technology and Health. These awards honor the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality.
A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, and more. Plus, several new categories were added, including Pandemic Response, Urban Design, and Architecture. The 2021 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Brazil to Denmark to Vietnam.
Jurata's proprietary thin film technology thermostabilizes vaccines, enabling therapeutics that normally require refrigeration or freezing to be stored at room temperature for years. This removal of all cold chain requirements for vaccine storage and distribution significantly improves access to these therapies for people throughout the world. These thin films are the size of a postage stamp and can be administered under the tongue or inside the cheek, allowing needle-free delivery. Additionally, thin films can be rehydrated for therapeutic administration via intranasal spray or injection. This versatility, combined with its ability to thermostabilize myriad pharmaceutical payloads gives these thin films the potential to revolutionize vaccine and biologic delivery.
Fast Company recognized Jurata Thin Film as a finalist in the category of Developing World Technology due to their technology's ability to facilitate vaccine and therapeutic delivery to people in remote and low-resource regions. "Our technology is small, light-weight, can be transported without bulky or heavy ice packs, and can be administered very easily to patients, easing the burden on healthcare workers and facilitating last-mile delivery in developing countries," states the inventor of Jurata's thin film technology and its Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Maria Croyle. The ability of Jurata's thin films to be administered under the tongue or through an intranasal spray could also increase patient compliance due to its needle-free nature.
Jurata Thin Film was also recognized by Fast Company as a finalist in the Health category due to their thin film's potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry's approach to biotherapeutic manufacturing, storage, and administration. In addition to the advantages enabled by its thermostability, "the incorporation of our thin films completely removes the need for lyophilization in pharmaceutical manufacturing," Dr. Croyle adds, "improving manufacturing efficiency and decreasing costs."
"There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it is important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems," says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company.
"We are humbled to be honored as part of Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards," notes Dr. Croyle. "Jurata is working tirelessly to get our thin film technology out to people throughout the world, as quickly as possible. We are very proud of our technology and look forward to seeing its impact on vaccine and biologic delivery."
About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
About Jurata Thin Film, Inc: Founded in 2019, Jurata Thin Film, Inc. is a privately-held biotechnology company working to revolutionize the way vaccines and biologics are stored, distributed and delivered to all who need them around the world. Jurata's thin films can be stored at room temperature for up to three years prior to reconstitution and for up eight months after reconstitution while maintaining therapeutic payload potency. Their technology has also been proven to protect its cargo even when exposed to extreme temperatures, as is often the case during shipping and distribution. This technology could remove the need for cold chain logistics in vaccine and biologic transport and storage, while exponentially reducing the space required to store these lifesaving therapies.
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Release published on PRNewswire - 05/04/2021
Jurata Thin Film Selected as BLUE KNIGHT™ Company
Film Technology for Stabilizing Vaccines at Ambient Temperature Support Jurata Thin Film Selection
AUSTIN, TEXAS. November 2021 – Jurata Thin Film, Inc. (“Jurata”) has been selected to join BLUE KNIGHT™, a joint initiative between Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Jurata was selected for this program based on their proprietary thin film technology, developed at the University of Texas at Austin by Dr. Maria Croyle, Professor of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery. Jurata’s thin film technology aims to stabilize vaccines and biologics at room temperature. Furthermore, Jurata’s technology has the potential to deliver vaccines under the tongue using material smaller than a postage stamp.
The commercialization of Jurata’s thin film may greatly increase pandemic preparedness, as their technology aims to simplify vaccine distribution logistics by eliminating the need for cold chain technologies, as well as easing delivery burden on health care workers through needle-free administration of vaccines. Such advancement in pandemic preparedness aligns with the mission of the Blue Knight program.
“Jurata is honored to have been selected to be a Blue Knight company and we look forward to working with Johnson & Johnson Innovation and BARDA. We hope the program will help us in further developing our thin film technology for global preparedness for current and future public health crises,” said Dr. Croyle, who also serves as Jurata’s Chief Scientific Officer.
About Jurata Thin Film, Inc.
Founded in 2019, Jurata Thin Film, Inc. is a privately-held biotechnology company working to revolutionize the way vaccines and biologics are stored, distributed and delivered to all who need them around the world. Jurata's thin films have the potential to be stored at room temperature for up to three years prior to reconstitution and for up eight months after reconstitution while maintaining therapeutic payload potency. Their technology has also been proven to protect its cargo even when exposed to extreme temperatures, as is often the case during shipping and distribution. This technology could remove the need for cold chain logistics in vaccine and biologic transport and storage, while reducing the space required to store these lifesaving therapies.
Jurata Thin Film Raises $5 Million Seed Round
Startup working to increase equitable access to vaccines and biologics raises initial funds
HOUSTON , Nov. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jurata Thin Film, a startup focused on stabilizing vaccines at ambient temperature has raised initial investment funds totaling $4.87 million to develop the technology. Jurata's revolutionary process preserves the therapeutic activity of biological pharmaceutics by immobilizing them into a solid film matrix, similar to the way amber can preserve ancient plant and insect specimens trapped within. The technology allows vaccines and other life-saving medications to be stored at room temperature for up to three years. This is in stark contrast to conventional vaccine production, which often require freezing and storage at very cold temperatures to maintain potency.
Jurata's process takes place at room temperature and requires only a few hours to complete. Moreover, the technology circumvents the need for lyophilization, which is an energy intensive and costly bottleneck in conventional pharmaceutical manufacturing. Once thin films are produced, they can be shipped anywhere in the world without temperature-control measures.
The funds raised in this seed round will support the design and build of a pilot-scale manufacturing line capable of fabricating over 1,000 doses of vaccine- or biologic-loaded thin films per hour. The manufacturing equipment, which is scheduled to be delivered in next spring, will enable Jurata to produce clinical-grade material at relevant scale. Funds will also be used to support the requisite toxicity studies demonstrating safety of Jurata's formulation for administration under the tongue (sublingual), inside the cheek (buccal), or through intramuscular injection after rehydration. According to Megan Livingston, Jurata's Senior Director of Business Development, "these funds will enable us to be ready for clinical studies within the next 18 months".
This technology was originally developed in the laboratory of Maria Croyle, RPh, PhD, a Professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), to deliver Ebola vaccines to populations in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Croyle serves as Jurata's Chief Scientific Officer, overseeing research and development (R&D) efforts to broaden the applicability of Jurata's technology.
Jurata's seed round is being led by Golden Seeds, LLC, a network of angel investors committed to supporting women--led startups. "Jurata's thin film technology could exponentially simplify pharmaceutical supply chain, making current and future therapies cheaper and more accessible for patients everywhere," says Peggy Wallace, Managing Partner at Golden Seeds. Ms. Wallace added, "Golden Seeds is thrilled to support Jurata's development and commercialization of their revolutionary technology."
Other investors include Jurata's co-founders Sheila Mikhail, Jude Samulski, PhD, and Dr. Croyle. Current employees have also contributed to the fund, demonstrating the team's confidence in the technology's potential. Additional contributions were made by institutional investors, including Columbus Ventures and Ferocity Capital, as well as UT Seed Investment Fund, a new fund intended to support startups based on technologies developed at the University of Texas at Austin.
"We are grateful for the support of our employees and investors, who champion our thin film technology and are working tirelessly to hit critical milestones needed to get this in the clinic," said Dr. Croyle. "The ability to manufacture, distribute, store, and deliver life-saving vaccines and biologicals, anywhere in the world, without any temperature-control measures will decrease costs and increase equitable access to these therapeutics."
In addition to scale up and regulatory testing, raised funds will allow the hire of additional R&D personnel to support client evaluation projects and further expand applicability of the technology. As a Blue Knight™ company, Jurata Thin Film performs its R&D work at JLABS in Houston, a life science incubator based in the Texas Medical Center (TMC), the largest medical center in the world. "Basing our R&D operations in TMC gives us unfettered access to some of the best scientists and clinicians in the world. We will use these funds to expand our footprint in the area, and we are excited to bring on new team members," said Christopher M. Pavlos, PhD, Jurata's Director of R&D.
"Current pharmaceutical manufacturing technologies have significant shortcomings that limit the ability to mass-produce cost-effective therapies. Jurata's thin film technology promises to eliminate these limitations," said Dr. Pavlos. Ms. Livingston added, "We are working hard to give patients access to our thin film technology. We recognize how much our formulation could decrease pharmaceutical costs and increase access to life-saving treatments."
About Jurata Thin Film
Founded in 2019, Jurata Thin Film, Inc. is a privately-held biotechnology company working to revolutionize the way vaccines and biologics are manufactured, distributed, stored, and delivered to all who need them around the world. Jurata's thin films can be stored at room temperature for up to three years while maintaining therapeutic payload potency. Thin films have also been proven to protect pharmaceutic cargo even when exposed to extreme temperatures, as is often the case during shipping and distribution. This technology stands poised to remove the need for lyophilization in pharmaceutical manufacturing and eliminate cold chain logistics in vaccine and biologic transport and storage.
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Release published on PR Newswire - 11/29/2022