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EXISTING PRODUCTSNova Laboratories mimicked the extreme desiccation abilities ofcertain organisms to develop “dry” vaccines. Standard vaccines containbiological material that must be refrigerated, requiring energy intensivesupply chains (known as “cold chains”) that keep the vaccines at lowtemperatures from manufacture to administration. 94 Nova’s dry vaccineplatform technology (known as HydRIS ® ) preserves the vaccine materialin a dry, sugar glass matrix for transport. The vaccines are rehydratedjust before administration to the patient. This platform technologycreates chemically and physically stable vaccines while withstandingtemperatures of 0-50°C/32-122°F without compromising potency,saving on energy and transportation costs and allowing vaccines to betransported to remote areas. 95HYDRIS ® DRY VACCINESIce cream—a $60 billion market in 2013—requires considerable energythroughout its refrigerated supply chain. 96 The texture of ice cream isdictated by the small size and regularity of its ice crystals. If ice creamthaws and refreezes, ice crystals grow and accumulate, decreasing thequality of the product. In developing economies, however, refrigeration isnot always available. Recently, product manufacturer Unilever introducedan ice structuring protein first identified in arctic fish to prevent thegrowth of ice crystals. 97 Approved by the U.S. FDA and its counterpartsin the European Union and Australia, this ingredient allows ice creamproducts to undergo freeze-thaw cycles with minimal crystal growth,ensuring a high quality product reaches consumers even over imperfectsupply chains in warm climates. 98UNILEVER ICE CREAMPRODUCTS IN DEVELOPMENTThe manufacture of injection molded plastic parts involves both theintroduction of high thermal energy and its removal. Cooling fluids areused to extract the supplied heat from each part, creating an energyintensiveprocess. New York-based plastics manufacturer Harbec tappedTerrapin’s network of biomimicry experts and built a multidisciplinarydesign and engineering team with Dr. Jiandi Wan of RIT and Dr. AbrahamStroock of Cornell University. Applying a biomimetic approach to theredesign of the metal molds, the team is looking at counter-current heatexchangers, such as human lungs, to learn how nature dissipates heatquickly and efficiently. Prototypes feature webs of cooling passagesrather than the simple, straight cooling channels found in conventionalmolds. A biomimetic mold that cools quickly will allow Harbec todifferentiate itself from competitors. Specifically, shorter cooling cycleslead to lower power consumption and increased production speed,which translates into lower costs and higher revenues for Harbec.INJECTION MOLDING© 2015 Terrapin Bright Green LLC 27