All that glitters…is not from cold storage! To promote global vaccine equity, Jaklenec and Langer Lab researchers are developing a micro-scale particle for long-term storage and one-shot delivery of mRNA vaccines in low-income communities where technical barriers limit access to cold-chain transportation. 

They took this image to visually assess how a polymer coating (pink) protects and stabilizes the dried mRNA vaccine (blue). Eventually, the container will be embedded in a dissolvable needle and injected into the body to release multiple doses of the active vaccine.