Into the Breach: On-Demand Pharmacies for Programmable Drug Delivery

Into the Breach: On-Demand Pharmacies for Programmable Drug Delivery

Collections: Image Award Winners

2015 Award Winner

Nisarg Shah, M. Nasim Hyder, Paula Hammond

Koch Institute at MIT

This microscopic landscape serves as both recruiting office and training ground for disease-fighting cells. Engineers have created a porous membrane scaffold that can be pre-loaded with the necessary biological and chemical agents to stimulate the body’s natural repair and defense capacities. Cells can be programmed to perform particular tasks by layering the membrane with different polymers to change the microenvironment in which the cells interact. Already used for tissue regeneration, this biodegradable device provides a new platform for delivering drugs and empowering cells to fight cancer.

Video

M. Nasim Hyder and Nisarg Shah share the story behind their award-winning image.

You can also watch Nisarg's presentation at the 2015 Image Awards exhibition opening event on March 10, 2015 or the teaser video on the Koch Institute's Facebook page.

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