Thermostable mRNA Vaccine Formulations for Low-Resource Cold Chains

Abstract

The cold chain requirements of first-generation mRNA vaccines constrained deployment in low- and middle-income settings. This paper evaluates four lipid nanoparticle formulation strategies that have demonstrated stability at 2-8°C for six months or longer, comparing immunogenicity, tolerability, and cost impact. We show that ionisable lipid selection and lyophilised formats each deliver meaningful stability gains, but that combination approaches remain necessary to reach the WHO PQ storage benchmark without compromising booster immunogenicity.