The Tennenbaum Institute Receives Funding to Develop Economic Model of Cold Chain

Atlanta, GA (October 28, 2009) - Georgia Institute of Technology announced funding of the Tennenbaum Institute (“TI”) via a gift and Teaming Agreement with SEEDR L3C, a Michigan Low-profit Limited Liability Company (“SEEDR”), to redesign and reengineer the cold-chain containers used in international and domestic immunization and disease-surveillance programs.

SEEDR received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for its initiative to “Reengineer (Reverse) Cold Chain for Vaccine and Specimen Transport.” SEEDR will manage a group of engineers, designers, and strategists in partnership with a team of experts from Global Immunization Division of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and TI to apply the manufacturing innovations of its technology partner, Global Tech International (GTI), to improve the performance, affordability, and environmental footprint of the containers.

Countries and multinational aid agencies use these containers to maintain vaccines at the required temperature en route to remote locations for immunization campaigns, such as those against life-threatening diseases like polio and measles.

Reverse cold chain containers are used to transport specimens or other biological
products such as blood from the field to laboratories for diagnosis and surveillance.

Redesigned containers have the potential to strengthen immunization and disease
surveillance programs in the global fight against major diseases such as HIV/AIDS by reducing vaccine and specimen loss and helping to ensure that vaccines arrive in remote areas and specimens arrive at laboratories intact and viable.

Dr. Brent Burkholder, Director of the CDC Global Immunization Division described the potential impact of the project. "Our goal in this project is to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of cold chain capacity around the world, both to protect the significant investment in costly vaccines, and, more importantly, to ensure the safety of those receiving immunizations.”

The Tennenbaum Institute will build a simulation model of the cold chain to monitor and project the impact these redesigned containers will have on costs and effectiveness. The impacts of interest include costs savings, performance improvements, and the consequences of successful vaccine delivery programs. Dr. William B. Rouse, Executive Director of TI, noted that, “This is a wonderful opportunity to apply our modeling skills and tools to an area of global importance with a team of the best and brightest.”

SEEDR Managing Director, Michael Moreland, said that SEEDR has selected TI for participation in the project on the basis of TI’s “expertise in modeling complex systems, like the forward and reverse cold chains.” He explained that “understanding the innovation's potential impact on the system is essential to effective decision-making at both the design and commercialization stages.”

SEEDR's project brings together experts from government, private enterprise,
academia, and philanthropy in a collaborative design and innovation process. Moreland, stressed the importance of collaboration in the design strategy. “We see tremendous potential in transdisciplinary collaboration to achieve the most complete solution possible. The user-derived insights and prototype field testing CDC brings to the design process are invaluable.”

Dr. Victoria Gammino, project co-investigator and CDC epidemiologist, agreed on the value of a multi-stakeholder process. “This type of public-private partnership facilitates the application of the most cutting-edge technologies to difficult and sometimes intractable public health problems.”

With GT's technologies allowing SEEDR to utilize recent advancements in materials technology - including recycled materials - more effectively, SEEDR intends to improve the insulation, durability, weight, and usability of these containers to ultimately reduce vaccine and specimen loss, reduce program costs, and strengthen global immunization systems.

The Tennenbaum Institute at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia is an interdisciplinary research center, reporting to the Office of the Provost, which focuses on understanding and enabling fundamental change of complex organizational systems. Faculty, staff, and students from across the spectrum of Georgia Techʼs colleges and schools participate in a portfolio of research efforts sponsored by government, industry, and foundations. Major initiatives include healthcare delivery and global manufacturing.

Tennenbaum Institute
William B. Rouse, Executive Director
(404) 894-2331
bill.rouse@ti.gatech.edu
www.ti.gatech.edu


SEEDR L3C is a solution design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia dedicated to redesigning the tools and strategies of global development by matching transformative technologies to transdisciplinary collaboration to produce sustainable and accessible solutions in the fields of public health, energy, shelter, and the environment. Organized as an L3C, SEEDR is among a burgeoning group of social enterprises committed to bringing the strengths of the private sector to public-interest causes.

SEEDR L3C
Will Hurst
404.585.0532
media@seedrl3c.com
http://seedrl3c.com/