To produce biopharmaceuticals on demand, just add water

Researchers at MIT and other institutions have created tiny freeze-dried pellets that include all of the molecular machinery needed to translate DNA into proteins, which could form the basis for on-demand production of drugs and vaccines. 

The pellets, which contain dozens of enzymes and other molecules extracted from cells, can be stored for an extended period of time at room temperature. Upon the addition of water and freeze-dried DNA, the pellets begin producing proteins encoded by the DNA.

"It's a modular system that can be programmed to make what you need, on the spot," says James Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science in MIT's Department of Biological Engineering and Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES). "You could have hundreds of different DNA pellets you can add in the field." These pellets, a few millimeters in diameter, could be easily carried by soldiers, astronauts, or health care workers heading to remote areas, says Collins.

Collins anticipates that this type of technology should be useful in a variety of settings. "It could be used in a very simple carry kit for health care workers going in the field in developing regions," he says. "We think it could be very useful for the military, when you're going out on a mission in the field, or for hikers and athletes going for long hauls. You could even have it in the back of your car as an expanded first aid kit."

These pellets could also be incorporated into educational tools—"the biotech equivalent of a chemistry kit," Collins says. "You could envision using these pellets to allow students to conduct synthetic biology experiments at home, or in middle schools and high schools."

Another application Collins plans to pursue is integrating the pellets into "smart bandages" that would detect an infection and then begin producing the appropriate antimicrobial peptide to treat the infection.