Pathogens in the firing line of electron beam radiation

摘要

An interdisciplinary team at the Fraunhofer Institute has developed a new procedure to quickly destroy pathogens used in the manufacture of vaccines. The new technology inactivates pathogens through radiation with low-energy electron beams and plasma without damaging the external form of the viruses, bacteria or parasites. The inactivated vaccine created is not a threat to the body; it causes the immune system to produce antibodies, which protect it against outbreaks of disease. A module, developed for small probe sizes, carries the pathogen suspension in pouches below the electron source. Another module, "the Liquid roll", has been developed to inactivate pathogens in large liquid volumes. This method can be integrated into industrial production.