Tardigrades: Vaccine Stabilization Technology — Nova Labs

Biological model: Tardigrades (water bears, Tardigrada phylum)

Company: Nova Labs

Vaccine stabilization technology inspired by tardigrade cryptobiosis allowing stable storage without refrigeration.

The challenge

Many vaccines require cold chain storage, limiting access in low-resource settings; vaccine instability affects distribution to developing countries.

Nature's strategy

Tardigrade cryptobiotic mechanisms and water exclusion chemistry.

What was emulated

Dehydration and metabolic suspension to maintain molecular integrity.

The innovation

Tardigrade-inspired stabilization enabling dry storage of vaccines.

Full case study

Tardigrades are microscopic animals that survive extreme conditions through cryptobiosis, a state where they completely arrest metabolism and reduce water content to near-zero. Nova Labs developed stabilization technology inspired by tardigrade biochemistry to enable dry storage of vaccines without refrigeration, addressing the cold chain challenge in global vaccine distribution.