Mobile and solar-powered beds can provide speedy relief to babies with jaundice.
During outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola or Polio, however, many doses of vaccines are required locally.
To help with logistics and storage, a research team from MIT has developed a mobile printer to produce vaccination patches. They can be stored at room temperature for months.
A liquid containing the vaccine encapsulated in protective nanoparticles is printed onto the thumbnail-sized patch as microneedles.
Additional polymers in the ‘ink’ stabilise them until patches are applied to the skin. Then the needles’ tips dissolve and release the vaccine. The new technology would benefit remote areas in particular.
A Danish robot, meanwhile, can accelerate the testing process.
