New technology could soon see simple, portable vaccine factories for areas in need.

Bioengineers say a cell's own internal ‘machinery’ can be modified to produce drugs, vaccines and other useful products.

But getting those cells to far away or low-resource places and making them start producing can be tough, especially since specialised equipment and refrigeration are usually needed.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of Toronto have made the whole thing portable, allowing important products to be made on-site and on-demand.

The researchers took out the relevant cell machinery and freeze dried it so that it can be transported and stored at room temperature.

Once it is in location, operators just add water and the DNA 'blueprint' of the thing they want to make.

The researchers say their design will help making and distributing therapeutics in both developed and developing areas easier.

Their latest report is available here.