Drew Kalil

Chemical Engineering Insights II

Project Synopsis
April 20, 2015
Every year, the flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide, 36,000 of which live in
the United States. Even though the first vaccine was created in 1938, thousands of people are
dying in a first world country with some of the best medical care in the world. So why is this?
How can it be possible that so many people die from a preventable, curable illness? The answer
may be in the vaccine, or lack there of.
Every year, there are reports of a lack of flu vaccines and the shortages has contributed to
only about half of the population of the United States being vaccinated every year.While it is
impossible to force every person to get a flu shot, it is possible to provide everyone with the
opportunity. Right now, almost every flu vaccine is created using chicken egg. This method was
created almost eighty years ago, requires over six months to created, and wastes two eggs for
every one egg used. The goal of this project is to address this problem by providing possible
solutions from a policy standpoint and an engineering standpoint.
From an engineering standpoint, there is another form of flu vaccine production that can
replace the old egg method and that is using animal cells to grow the vaccine. Unlike traditional
methods, this new method has a much faster startup time, does not require a stockpile and supply
of eggs and has been proven to be a viable method in Europe.
From a policy standpoint, there has to be a new method for allowing new companies to
get into the vaccine market. Currently there are only three companies making flu vaccines. With
such a tight grip on the market, its tough for a company to get started. In addition, in order to
start production, a company has to be approved by the FDA. This process is particularly
troublesome because a fully operating manufacturing facility is needed before the company is
considered for approval. This facilities cost hundreds of millions of dollars and if the company is
not approved, the building cannot be easily converted to produce another chemical or vaccine.
If these changes occur, the United States of America will be ready for an epidemic,
pandemic or even a biological weapon attack. The technology that uses animal cells has already
been used to treat a variety of other diseases including rotavirus, polio, smallpox, hepatitis,

rubella and chickenpox. With such wide application availability, the technology can be used to
quickly treat a disaster, much quicker than any egg-based production can ever be. Taking these
measures would greatly improve the safety and health for Americans.