Making medicine on the fly
MIT team develops portable pharmacies
Soldiers stationed in remote locations could be swiftly treated for illnesses from cancer to the Zika virus, thanks to laptop-sized portable pharmacies developed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“You carry a lot with you out in the field, but there’s always something you’re not prepared to deal with,” said MIT’s professor of electrical engineering and computer science Rajeev Ram, who helped develop the device. “If someone is in a remote environment and suddenly there is a new disease, a new virus, you want to be able to produce a vaccine or treatment then and there.”
In a paper published today in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers describe a miniature drug-making tool that can manufacture a range of biopharmaceuticals in just a few hours. Included in this drug type is ZMapp, an experimental medication used to treat Ebola.
While these medications are usually made in large vats, the researchers condensed the process by using a type of yeast to grow the proteins — its ability to multiply quickly allows it to produce large amounts of cells in a short time frame.
The machine contains sensors to regulate temperature and can produce human growth hormone, which helps with wound-healing.
“It could take an hour to produce one drug, and an hour or three later, you could make a totally new drug,” Ram said.
The device can create treatments for natural pathogens like cholera and malaria, but could also come in handy if there is a threat of biological warfare, said Dr. Timothy Lu, professor of biological engineering at MIT and senior author of the paper.
Lu also said the device could be used to modify existing treatments for illnesses that have changed over time or across geographic areas.
“Viruses can evolve very quickly and can be different depending on where you are,” Lu said. “Instead of relying on a cocktail that already exists, you can reprogram the reactor on demand to customize the treatment.”
The research was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Each machine in its current form would cost tens of thousands of dollars, the researchers said — comparable to early personal computers.
Lu said this technology has the potential to change medication delivery entirely, not just for those who live in remote locations.
“We believe it has the potential to make it easier to do biomanufacturing,” Lu said. “You could have this in hospitals and houses in 20 to 30 years.”