Limitations in global access to research and healthcare capacity undermine equity, sustainability, and resilience, particularly in resource-limited settings. Molecular diagnostics and biologic therapeutics are set to revolutionize medicine; however, our dependence on centralized biomanufacturing, and the concomitant cold chain logistics, restrict access to these benefits. While these constraints become particularly evident during global health crises, they reflect a chronic and unmet global challenge. Here, with research teams in North and South America and Asia, we challenge the conventional top-down paradigm by innovating community-driven solutions that empower underserved populations to actively participate in the bioeconomy, producing what they need, when, and where they need it. Our approach leverages decentralized, low-burden biomanufacturing technologies-built on cell-free protein synthesis and open-source hardware-to enable local, on-demand production of critical biologics, including high-value growth factors, vaccines, and diagnostic enzymes, demonstrating performance comparable to commercial gold standards. This platform, implemented at ten sites worldwide, supported patient trials targeting globally relevant pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, chikungunya, and Oropouche viruses. Together, these initiatives lay the foundation for a new era of globally inclusive biomanufacturing, where innovation goes beyond geographic boundaries, and communities everywhere are empowered to respond to global challenges with enhanced speed, autonomy, and equity.
Silva et al. (Sun,) studied this question.