Designed to keep temperature-sensitive vaccines stable in transit in remote regions, Will Broadway’s Isobar is based on invention from early 1900s

A portable cooling system for temperature-sensitive vaccines which could save millions of lives in developing countries has won its 22-year-old designer a prestigious James Dyson award.



Will Broadway, an industrial design and technology graduate from Loughborough University, developed the Isobar system for his final degree project after seeing the huge waste of valuable vaccines, which lost their potency as a result of inadequate storage and transportation conditions in remote regions.

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Before starting his university course, Broadway spent seven weeks travelling through Cambodia, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam, where he saw the challenges faced by medical staff in getting life-saving vaccines to the people who need them.



Current vaccine programmes in developing countries do not meet rigorous international standards for temperature-safe vaccine distribution. Ice or cold packs are generally used, which can freeze the vaccine to a temperature lower than considered thermally stable, and leads to vaccines losing potency.

In 2015, an estimated 19.4 million children worldwide failed to receive routine immunisation services, with more than 60% of these living in developing countries. Figures suggest that an additional 1.5 million deaths could be avoided if global vaccination systems improve.

Broadway’s hi-tech, rechargeable cooling system was inspired by an invention developed by Albert Einstein in the 1920s. The device was originally intended to provide electricity-free refrigeration, and required only a heat source to drive a chemical process.

The Isobar is specifically designed to maintain stable temperature control between 2C (35F) and 8C (46.4F) during the “final mile” distribution of vaccine in remote regions without power. The cooling effect lasts for up to six days inside an insulated backpack, and can be recharged in just over an hour using either electricity or propane.

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Broadway said he was thrilled to receive the UK James Dyson award, which includes a £2,000 cash prize. Broadway plans to use the money to develop further prototypes and apply for patents.

“I am so pleased that this technology can get a bit of the limelight,” he added. “It was such an innovative technology in 1929 that was forgotten and taken over by electric refrigeration. It gives me the confidence to pursue it with my whole heart in the knowledge that I can actually make this device and that it could have a great impact for the benefit of thousands of people.” He paid tribute to the help of his tutor at Loughborough, Dr John McCardle, and for his “constant scrutiny” over hundreds of hours of development.

It will now be entered into the international running for the final leg of the James Dyson Award - announced in October - which will award the winning entry £30,000 to fund further development.

Jack Lang, fellow at the Judge Business School at Cambridge University, co-founder and chair of Raspberry Pi and UK James Dyson Award judge 2016 said: “Isobar is a brilliant invention. It solves a real problem and is a complete, well thought-through system.”