MIT researchers used a data-efficient AI search to find a dried mRNA-vaccine formulation that stayed functional after warm storage. In mice, vaccines made with particles stored at 37°C for two months produced immune responses comparable to fresh formulations; the team also reports a one-year room-temperature test. These are preclinical findings, not a shelf-life claim for a marketed vaccine.
mRNA is fragile and usually needs cold storage. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) protect it and carry it into cells. The team’s AGENT system paired laboratory tests with Bayesian optimization, which uses each batch of results to choose what to test next. Researchers screened nearly 50 FDA-approved excipients—additives such as sugars or polymers—and found promising combinations in six optimization iterations over one month.
The solid-state formulations used LNP compositions representative of Moderna’s SM-102 and Pfizer-BioNTech’s ALC-0315. MIT describes the same vacuum-dried experimental particles under two separate storage conditions: two months at 37°C or one year at room temperature. Mice given the stored particles mounted immune responses comparable with those given freshly prepared formulations. The paper also reports antigen-specific responses in rodents and nonhuman primates that were no worse, within the study’s non-inferiority criteria, than responses to fresh soluble vaccines injected into muscle. Dissolving microneedle patches produced responses similar to injection in animal tests, MIT reports.
The work points to a possible way to ease cold-storage demands and support patch delivery. Human studies, manufacturing at product scale and distribution tests remain necessary before it could change vaccine supply.
Sources
- Tian et al., “Accelerated discovery of thermostable mRNA–lipid nanoparticle vaccines using data-efficient AI,” Nature Biotechnology (Sept. 28, 2026)
- MIT News, “New formulation helps RNA vaccines withstand high temperatures” (Sept. 28, 2026)
Image: Spencer D’Avis, CC BY 4.0. The photograph shows a vaccine-vial prop and is illustrative; it is not the study formulation. Image source and license.
