The Analytical Scientist / Issues / 2026 / February / Raman Tool Opens the Door to Continuous Vaccine Manufacturing / Summary
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Raman Tool Opens the Door to Continuous Vaccine Manufacturing 

A confocal Raman microscope-based tool can characterize viral particles at-line and in real time

By James Strachan 02/02/2026 2 min read

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Researchers at Purdue University and Merck & Co have developed a novel Raman spectroscopy-based tool aimed at real-time monitoring of viral particles during vaccine manufacturing processes. This advancement addresses a significant bottleneck by enabling continuous quality control, as traditional methods require time-consuming sample removal and testing. The tool allows analysis within 30 seconds, ensuring undamaged viral samples and improving manufacturing efficiency. Future work will focus on integrating portable Raman systems into commercial lines to further enhance monitoring capabilities in complex media.

About the Author(s)

James Strachan

Over the course of my Biomedical Sciences degree it dawned on me that my goal of becoming a scientist didn’t quite mesh with my lack of affinity for lab work. Thinking on my decision to pursue biology rather than English at age 15 – despite an aptitude for the latter – I realized that science writing was a way to combine what I loved with what I was good at. From there I set out to gather as much freelancing experience as I could, spending 2 years developing scientific content for International Innovation, before completing an MSc in Science Communication. After gaining invaluable experience in supporting the communications efforts of CERN and IN-PART, I joined Texere – where I am focused on producing consistently engaging, cutting-edge and innovative content for our specialist audiences around the world.

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