When provincial health officials needed a way to safely carry precious vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to remote communities, they turned to the creative minds at Camosun College, which had already developed a face shield and mask sterilizer.
The request was to create sturdy specialized trays to transport smaller quantities of the vials arriving at distribution centres, while keeping each vial safe during transport.
Timing was everything. Because the vaccine must be kept at a stable temperature of -70 C, the transfer has to take place in less than three minutes.
Camosun Innovates staff at the college’s Interurban campus promptly custom-designed and manufactured trays that fit the bill. The 0.635-centimetre-thick acrylic trays can hold up to 100 vials in four quadrants of 25 each, making the number of vials easy to count at a glance — a key factor when timing is critical.
Trays are able to handle extreme temperatures without shattering and can be easily cleaned and sterilized.
Camosun Innovates also developed a grabbing tool that looks like a pair of scissors — dubbed the Camosun VI-grip — that can pick up five vials at a time to cut down on transfer time. The tool is manufactured using a 3D printer.
Matthew Zeleny, an applied research technologist, developed a tray prototype that was refined with other Camosun Innovates staffers, all former students, said Richard Gale, director of Camosun Innovates.
“We pushed everything off the table and devoted all of our resources to this to get it to them as quickly as possible. We were able to get it taken care of in less than a week.”
Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrive in boxes surrounded by snugly packed materials, so there is no risk of jostling, Gale said. Those vials must then be repacked in smaller numbers to suit the needs of their destination, such as rural or small-community clinics and care facilities.
Original Pfizer boxes are being reused, Gale said. The acrylic trays fit into the boxes.
So far, 450 trays have been sent out by Camosun for use on Vancouver Island and elsewhere in the province.
Gerry Delorme, director with Health Emergency Management B.C., said the ability to quickly and safely transfer vials of the COVID-19 vaccine is helping to “get it to where it is needed most.”
Camosun staff worked with the Health Ministry, Health Emergency Management B.C., the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and regional health authorities on the project.
The first production test run was carried out at the Babcock Canada Interaction Lab at the Interurban campus.
The trays follow other products developed by Camosun Innovates, including a medical-grade face-shield design and a portable “oven” that relies on ultraviolet light to sterilize N95 masks for reuse by medical staff.
Sherri Bell, Camosun president, said the applied research process used to create the trays and Camosun VI-grip show how community colleges can “hit the ground running with innovative solutions to complex, real-world problems.”
Gale said Camosun is always ready to step up and help out in difficult times and respond to challenges. “Because the pandemic has been so challenging and persistent, it creates countless opportunities for collaboration and innovation, all designed to keep our loved ones safe and well,” he said, adding the tray designs will be shared at no cost.
Camosun Innovates is now working on a method to transport the Moderna vaccine, which is distributed in pre-loaded syringes, Gale said. It is testing five prototypes which use a foam holder where the entire syringe is placed in a casing and put into a cooler to transport.
In addition, Camosun Innovates is in talks with those planning distribution for the AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.
“Camosun Innovates’ ability to quickly imagine and produce manufacturing solutions each time we encounter a challenge is helping to ensure vaccines reach British Columbians,” Delorme said in a statement.
