On-Demand Drugs
Researchers in synthetic biology have previously designed cells that perform certain desirable functions, like producing drugs or biofuels, but it turns out that the cell itself is superfluous since you can extract the necessary cellular components to get the job done on their own.
The latest research in this area involves freeze-drying these cellular extracts into small pellets only a few millimeters in diameter. The cellular extracts consist of enzymes, DNA, RNA, ribosomes and a few other components needed for protein production. Freeze-drying these extracts allows them to remain stable at room temperature for at least a year.
To activate the protein production, the only prerequisite skill is the ability to make instant oatmeal; you simply rehydrate the pellets by adding water. The one extra step is adding freeze-dried DNA that encodes for the desired protein.
The benefits to the freeze-dried biopharmaceutical pellets are not hard to image. For starters, they eliminate the need for refrigeration that comes with storing and shipping conventional live cells.
“[The researchers] paint a future where freeze-dried, cell-free biomanufacturing platforms can be used to synthesize therapeutics, vaccines, and biochemicals on demand, without the need for a cold [supply] chain,” said bioengineer Michael Jewett, who was not involved in the research. “By moving manufacturing from the factory to the front lines, we might be able to provide patient-specific medicines where medicines are not available now.”
The technology could prove useful in many settings, including health-care, military, space exploration, and even everyday consumers.
“It could be used in a very simple carry kit for health care workers going in the field in developing regions,” said researcher James Collins. “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.”
You can read the team’s full paper in Cell. For more breaking medical technology, check out 3D Printing and Origami Could Yield Self-Folding Medical Implants.