Researchers at the University of Leeds have found a way to create a new polio vaccine which could be made in developing countries to help protect thousands of people from succumbing to the debilitating disease.
Current methods of producing a polio vaccine require strict biosecurity in incredibly secure laboratories.
That's because a live virus is needed as part of the current method of producing the vaccine which is used across the world at the moment. Not only is this complex, but it also costs a lot of money.
However, work has been taking place in Leeds looking at a brand new way of making a polio vaccine which wouldn't require containment facilities.
They've managed to use virus-like particles engineered in yeast, which mimic the live virus but are completely harmless. It means scientists will not need expensive and secure labs to produce the vaccine.
Professor Nicola Stonehouse, one of the lead researchers on the project, said: "There is a real need to increase the production of vaccines and to conduct research into creating new ones, not only for humans but also to protect livestock."
Batches of particles that replicate polio have already been successfully produced in a laboratory at the University of Leeds and industrial-scale tests are due to get underway soon as part of the MadeAtUni campaign, which is designed to raise awareness of the groundbreaking research taking place at universities.
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