The Transdermal Bioreactor: a skin patch that builds patient’s own therapeutic cells at the bedside
Official title: The Transdermal Bioreactor: A Platform for Point-of-Care In Situ Cellular Engineering
Funded at Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ · NIH-11396564 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A skin patch called the Transdermal Bioreactor aims to create and deliver therapeutic cells inside your body right at your bedside.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project start | September 4, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $764,750 |
| NIH project number | 1DP2AR089712-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11396564 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with diseases where cell therapies could be beneficial and who could tolerate a localized skin patch procedure.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose disease does not respond to cell-based therapies or who cannot undergo the patch procedure may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project proposes a painless, off-the-shelf microneedle patch that can be applied to the skin to generate therapeutic cells directly in your body. It uses a biodegradable gel to form a living niche that recruits your own cells and reprograms them with a non-viral system, releasing engineered cells over time to help treat disease. The approach seeks to reduce the need for centralized manufacturing and complex logistics, potentially speeding up treatment and lowering costs. Researchers will validate the platform in two therapeutic directions: engineered T cells for fighting disease and cells that promote tissue repair. If successful, this could open new, faster options for patients needing cell-based therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could access personalized cell therapies more quickly and affordably.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical studies with similar cell-engineering approaches have shown promise, but this is a novel, translational platform.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
Blacksburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sun, Wujin — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Sun, Wujin
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.