A team led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) professors Georges Belfort, Ph.D. (PI), and Pankaj Karande, Ph.D. (co-PI) has been awarded a $3.3 million grant from the Gates Foundation to develop breakthrough purification technologies that could dramatically reduce the cost of producing mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics, making them more accessible to low- and middle-income countries. 

The research team aims to address a critical bottleneck in the production of mRNA therapeutics: the purification process that removes impurities while maintaining the integrity of the therapeutic molecule. 

"This project represents a paradigm shift in how we think about mRNA purification," Belfort said. "Current technologies are prohibitively expensive and inefficient, creating barriers to access for the populations that need them most. Our goal is to develop a purification platform that is not only more cost-effective but also more productive and scalable." 

By replacing conventional resin-based purification systems with advanced membrane technologies and innovative binding molecules, the researchers expect to achieve purification costs that are a fraction of current methods while significantly improving processing speed. 

The implications of this work extend beyond cost savings. Higher purity mRNA vaccines with lower immunogenic impurities could lead to improved clinical outcomes, including reduced side effects and enhanced therapeutic efficacy. Additionally, the technology being developed could prove particularly valuable for self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) therapeutics, which require lower doses than traditional mRNA vaccines and represent the next generation of RNA-based medicines. 

"By developing more affordable and efficient purification technologies, Dr. Belfort and his team are working to ensure that the next generation of RNA-based medicines can reach every community that needs them, not just those in wealthy nations,” said Shekhar Garde, Ph.D., the Thomas R. Farino, Jr. ’67 and Patricia E. Farino Dean of the School of Engineering. “This is engineering in service of humanity at its finest.” 

The research team brings together complementary expertise spanning downstream biomanufacturing, peptide engineering, membrane chemistry, transport phenomena, and mathematical modeling. Joining Belfort and Karande is Chip Kilduff, Ph.D., an RPI professor of civil engineering who will contribute expertise in the optimization of membrane-based bioseparation processes; and Marlene Belfort, Ph.D., member of the National Academy of Sciences and Distinguished Professor at the University at Albany, who will serve as a consultant, providing expertise in molecular biology and RNA biochemistry.  

If successful, this technology could enable local production of mRNA vaccines in regions that currently lack access to affordable biomanufacturing infrastructure, supporting global health equity and pandemic preparedness.  

The grant from the Gates Foundation will support  innovation in biomanufacturing infrastructure which is essential to ensuring that life-saving therapeutics reach all populations, regardless of geography or economic status.