New refrigeration technology provides vaccines for developing countries

Global Good and AUCMA announced on Tuesday that they will partner to manufacture and distribute AUCMA’s refrigeration device to help end mortality by vaccine-preventable diseases in underserved regions in the developing world. The refrigeration unit, first presented by Intellectual Ventures CEO Nathan Myhrvold at TED 2010, can keep vaccines at the recommended temperature for more than one month by using a single batch of ice with no external power supply. The device can hold 300 doses of vaccines, enough to supply a village of 6,000 people for a month. This innovation will help overcome a problem many developing nations and rural areas face: lack of electricity or means by which to store temperature-sensitive vaccines. The World Health Organization estimates that more than one million children die annually due to vaccine-preventable diseases. “Forward-looking commercial partners like AUCMA play a vital role in Global Good’s mission to improve life in developing countries through the power...