In a significant advancement for global vaccine distribution, Los Angeles-based Turn Therapeutics has successfully demonstrated complete recovery of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) after extended periods at room temperature, potentially eliminating the need for cold-chain storage of vaccines.
The clinical-stage pharmaceutical and medical device company announced it has achieved 100% recovery of VSV—a widely used viral backbone in vaccine development—after both 24 and 72 hours in its proprietary oil-based carrier at room temperature. This breakthrough was accomplished in partnership with the nonprofit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
"This is the first time a live virus has been stably suspended in an oil-based carrier and quantitatively recovered," said Bradley Burnam, CEO of Turn Therapeutics. "With our mixing platform and validated assay, we may be able to deliver live vaccines intranasally and without the need for deep freezing. This work could fundamentally change how humanity fights infectious disease."
Extending Vaccine Viability Beyond Current Limitations
Lipid-enveloped vaccine vectors like VSV typically remain viable for only about four hours without refrigeration. The current standard requires extensive cold-chain infrastructure for vaccine distribution—a significant barrier to vaccination efforts in remote or resource-limited regions.
Turn's technology has demonstrated viral stability for at least 72 hours at ambient temperature, even when the preparation was left uncovered. This represents an 18-fold increase in stability compared to current capabilities.
The company's research yielded identical results across all tested dilution schemes, confirming reproducibility. Importantly, researchers found no degradation in viral viability or cytotoxic interference in host cell assays, suggesting the carrier medium preserves vaccine integrity without compromising effectiveness.
Implications for Global Vaccine Distribution
The cold-chain requirement has long been a critical bottleneck in global vaccination campaigns, particularly in regions with unreliable electricity, limited refrigeration capacity, or challenging transportation logistics.
"Complete recovery of the virus was borderline unexpected," Burnam noted. "We anticipated some degradation at room temperature that could be accounted for through dosing adjustments in the future. But every dilution scheme returned the same result. We now have both the mixing platform and validated assay to drive what could be a major leap in vaccine science."
This technology could dramatically simplify the shipping, storage, and administration of vaccines worldwide. By removing the need for deep-freezing, vaccines could reach populations previously underserved due to infrastructure limitations.
Next Steps in Development
Following these promising results, the research collaboration will now conduct a multi-arm stability challenge to assess maximum stability of recombinant VSV at both refrigerated and room temperature conditions.
The next phase will involve in-vivo intranasal dosing studies, with the ultimate goal of developing a formulation suitable for human use. The intranasal delivery method could further simplify administration by eliminating the need for injection equipment and trained healthcare workers.
"It is such an honor to work alongside the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative to expand access to life-saving care, even to some of the hardest-to-reach populations on Earth," Burnam said.
About Turn Therapeutics
Turn Therapeutics specializes in developing advanced wound and dermatology solutions. The company employs a patient-first approach in addressing critical healthcare needs, with the goal of improving access, outcomes, and quality of life.
The company is currently conducting a limited access financing round for potential investors interested in supporting this breakthrough technology.
