A team of chemical engineers have developed a new way to produce medicines and chemicals on demand and preserve them in microbial biofactories using water-based gels called hydrogels. This method ensures the portability and availability of the medicines within a couple of hours.The research also concludes that freeze-drying of the hydrogel system enhances the fermentation capacity of the biofactories for a longer period. The approach could be helpful for the people in remote villages or on military missions, where availability of the critical medicines is limited due to the absence of pharmacies and doctors.