2023-04-25 19:12:00
MIT researchers are starting to think regarding a solution that would make vaccines more accessible. Innovation is a mobile 3D printer specialized in creating vaccines. With it, it would be possible to produce hundreds of doses of vaccines per day.
Occupying the space of a table, it might be installed in wherever vaccines are needed. This is unprecedented, as many immunizers need to be stored at low temperatures, which makes it difficult to effectively transport them to remote areas without infrastructure. Not to mention the syringes, needles and trained health professionals.
“Someday we might have on-demand vaccine production,” says Ana Jaklenec, a research scientist at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. “If, for example, there was an Ebola outbreak in a certain region, it would be possible to send some of these printers there and vaccinate people there.”
The mechanism works as follows: the device produces patches with hundreds of microneedles containing vaccine. Once attached to the skin, the contents dissolve without the need for a traditional injection. Furthermore, once printed, vaccine patches can be stored for months at room temperature.
The “ink” that the researchers use to print the microneedles containing the vaccine includes RNA vaccine molecules encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles, which help them remain stable for long periods of time. The ink also contains polymers that can be easily molded into the right shape and then remain stable for weeks or months, even when stored at room temperature or higher. The researchers found that a 50/50 combination of polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyvinyl alcohol, both commonly used to form microneedles, had the best combination of stiffness and stability.
The current prototype can produce 100 patches in 48 hoursbut the researchers anticipate that future versions may be designed to have greater capacity.
A pesquisa foi financiada pela Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a Belgian American Educational Foundation, Wallonia-Brussels International, Bodossaki Foundation, Onassis Foundation, US National Institutes of Health e Koch Institute Support (core) Subsídio do Instituto Nacional do Câncer.
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