Personalized Mini Factory For Drug Production In War Zones And Spacecraft

An international group of scientists from the Netherlands has successfully developed an artificial leaf, which can instantly synthesize medicines on demand. Analogous to a natural leaf, the device is also powered by sunlight and can thus function anywhere on Earth and beyond. The drug device is made up of silicone rubber and can function even under shade.

These drug mini factories harvest the solar energy present in the sunlight with the help of embedded luminescent solar concentrators, which are connected to extremely thin channels that can pump the liquid and expose them to sunlight. Timothy Noel, lead researcher of the project from Eindhoven University of Technology, said that, "Theoretically, you could use this device to make drug compounds with solar energy anywhere you want."

This invention is expected to revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry in the near future. It is expected to enable production of requisite drugs even in inhabitable conditions. "Using a reactor like this means you can make drugs anywhere, in principle, whether malaria drugs in the jungle or paracetamol on Mars" and "All you need is sunlight and this mini-factory," Dr. Noel said.

The invention was published in the science journal named Angewandte Chemie. Presently, Dr. Noel and his team are working on improving the energy efficiency of the device to achieve increased output.

According to experts, the device will be highly applicable for treating wounded soldiers in war zones, where there is a huge scarcity of medicines. In addition, the device can also be used as a mini drug factory to suffice the medical needs of astronauts during space travels.

According to a report by The Sun, it took several years of hard work and struggle to develop this highly advanced device. It is also said that there is a high probability that, in the near future, chemical engineers will also be able to develop whole trees made of these artificial leaves, which can simultaneously generate different types of drugs.