Turning Liquid Medicines into a Dry-State

PI: Thomas Boothby

Project Name: Cold-chain free stabilization of RNA-lipid nanoparticle formulations

Graduate Student: Tyler Gonzalez

From vaccines to genetic disorders, RNA-based medicines have applications in many aspects of human health and disease. However, a major drawback of these new medicines is the need to keep them frozen, making these medicines reliant on a robust cold-chain. Our project is researching a way to keep these new medicines stable in the dry-state, making them much less sensitive to temperature and allowing them to be stored at room temperature. This would allow these medicines to be shipped and stored more easily, as well as be distributed to areas with less stable electricity or lack of refrigeration.

How this research affects the public

Company Partner 

Student holds up microscope slide

Problem

Medicines like the COVID vaccine (mRNA) usually have to be kept super frozen or they spoil. Life-saving medicine shouldn't depend on whether you own a freezer.

Solution/Product

Our research seeks to develop technology that allows RNA-based therapeutics to be stored long-term in the dry-state. We hope to achieve this by applying techniques used by organisms that can survive extreme drying, like the tardigrade, and translating that basic biological knowledge into a product that enables the dry-state stabilization of these sensitive RNA-based medicines.

Wyoming Impact

The dry-state medicines makes it much easier to get life-saving vaccines to remote areas without needing giant freezers. Vaccines that can travel anywhere, no electricity required.

Boothby Lab Website

Company Partner

sigma genetics