Providing technology to fight COVID-19 in

Providing technology to fight COVID-19 in Wuhan

Technology designed by Vaisala is supporting the global mission to fight COVID-19.

Health and well-being are now on the table more than ever. People are increasingly interested in their health, and authorities are tightening requirements on the safety of medicines and pharmaceutical supply chains. Good Health and WellBeing is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3) and this is tied to Vaisala’s business – even more critically during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s industrial measurement solutions are being used to help fight the pandemic by monitoring process conditions in medicine and biotechnology manufacturing.

Vaisala’s viewLinc Continuous Monitoring System has been designed to ensure the research, manufacturing and storage conditions of essential supplies in highly regulated life science applications, such as pharmaceutical warehouses, laboratories, cold rooms and cleanrooms. Spaces that require such continuous monitoring include blood and tissue banks that handle, store and distribute human tissues. By monitoring the critical parameters in these spaces, valuable materials are preserved and safeguarded for human use.

The company’s instruments are used to monitor medicine manufacturing and development, in order to ensure the safety of the medicines we use. The most recent example of this is vaccine development for COVID-19. Research and development to find a treatment for the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is happening all over the world. In March, Vaisala received an express order from Wuhan, China, and quickly delivered several GMP231 Carbon Dioxide Transmitters, which monitor and control CO2 incubators. These incubators are chambers that can be used to cultivate microorganisms, e.g. a virus, and the cultured virus is then used to help develop a vaccine. The GMP231 probe ensures that CO2 levels inside the incubators maintain the optimal pH level in cultivation.

The carbon dioxide probe is not the only Vaisala instrument being used for vaccine development. The K-PATENTS Pharma refractometer is utilised in vaccine manufacturing, where it ensures safety and efficacy. It can be used in the development of virus-based vaccines, such as for influenza, swine flu, and potentially also for COVID-19. The refractometer was specially designed for the pharmaceutical industry. It measures the dissolved components in liquids and, more specifically in vaccine production, the sucrose densities in purification of viruses. After centrifugation, the viruses band to a certain known sucrose density gradient. By measuring this density with the refractometer, the viruses can be safely and efficiently collected. With the reliable measurements, vaccines can be developed as quickly and as safely as possible without compromising quality.

In addition to supporting vaccine development work, Vaisala’s measurement technology is also in use in frontline bio-decontamination work to kill viruses on surfaces. Cleamix Oy performed hydrogen peroxide vapour bio-decontaminations in South Korea during the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020. The Cleamix portable H202 vapour generators use Vaisala’s HPP270 series probes to monitor and control vapour output during biodecontamination. Hydrogen peroxide vapour is capable of killing even the most resistant microorganisms, which is why it is efficient in disinfecting critical spaces. Vaisala’s vapourised hydrogen peroxide probes provide multiple measurements, including relative humidity, relative saturation, temperature and H2O2 parts per million. This information guides the process, helping to ensure a successful bio-decontamination.

By monitoring and measuring critical environments and conditions in healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, Vaisala solutions help to ensure patient and personnel safety in hospitals, as well as the safety and efficacy of medicines and vaccines.