Unlike this thumb-sized 3D printer, MIT researchers have developed a mobile vaccine printer that could one day be scaled up to produce hundreds of vaccine doses each day. This tabletop-sized device can be deployed anywhere vaccines are needed, producing patches with hundreds of microneedles containing vaccine.
These microneedle patches can then be affixed to the skin, enabling the vaccine to dissolve without the need for a traditional injection. After printing the vaccine patches, they can be safely stored for months at room temperature. The ink used to print the vaccine-containing microneedles includes RNA vaccine molecules that are encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles, which help them to remain stable for long durations. Polymers inside the ink allow them to be easily molded into the right shape and then remain stable for weeks or months, even when stored at room temperature or higher. A robotic arm injects the ink into microneedle molds, and then a vacuum chamber beneath the mold sucks the ink down to the bottom to ensure they reach all the way to the tips of the needles.
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We could someday have on-demand vaccine production. If, for example, there was an Ebola outbreak in a particular region, one could ship a few of these printers there and vaccinate the people in that location,” said Ana Jaklenec, a research scientist at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.
