Polymer Rising: A Shining Example for Global Vaccine Equity
Polymer Rising: A Shining Example for Global Vaccine Equity
Collections: Image Award Winners
Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang, Jooli Han, Laboni Santra, Xinyan Pan, Robert Langer, Ana Jaklenec
Koch Institute at MIT
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.
Video
Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang and Jooli Han present on their image.