Vaccines are administered to enhance immunity to a particular disease by causing the immune system to respond to and destroy a nonvirulent or weakened form of a pathogen. When the immune system defeats a pathogen, it typically develops a memory for it; if the pathogen returns, the body will know exactly how to deal with the invader. However, the problems with conventionally delivered vaccines are many. Most are expensive, are administered in a nontargeted fashion, and result in lots of hazardous medical waste. They can take a long time to administer and the needles used can be painful, especially to children. Moreover, if a needle is not sterile, it can actually transmit disease instead of preventing it.

A new biotechnology-driven approach to creating and delivering vaccines seeks to address all of these shortcomings. To make it work, researchers must reformulate traditional vaccines and design a new mechanism by which to deliver them. This explains why biologists, chemists, and engineers are all involved in the challenge. Together, the team must find a way to embed a vaccine into microscopic nanoparticles. Then they must find a way to introduce those nanoparticles into the skin without actually breaking it. Sandra Bustamante's role in the project is vital. She must ensure that the white blood cells that initiate the body's immune response system will promptly identify the vaccine-carrying nanoparticles as invaders that must be attacked.

Amazingly, Sandra hadn't planned on being involved in cutting-edge biotech research. As she states in the video, her family didn't have enough money to pay for college. Instead, she enrolled in CityLab Academy, a free job skills training program at Boston University in which participants can earn college-level academic credits and a certificate in biotechnology.

Many graduates of CityLab continue to pursue an undergraduate degree, often at their employer's expense. In fact, the world's leading biotechnology companies and research institutions understand that developing a pipeline of future science professionals is critical to developing their pipeline of future therapies. Some employers have their own professional development programs, while others are willing to reimburse employees who enroll in classes at accredited academic institutions.

Here's how it worked for Sandra, in her own words:

After I finished my certificate program, they helped me find a job here, within the university. As I started working with the university, they basically paid for my education. So, I finished my bachelor's [in biomedical sciences] for free…. When I was in high school, I never thought that I would find a job, and that my employer would pay for my college education.

David Sherr, Sandra's boss, emphasizes the value of training programs like CityLab:

When I hired [Sandra], I had an advantage, because I did know something about her background. She had been training in the CityLab program, which teaches high school kids about laboratory science. I think it's a tremendous program. Anybody who goes through that program, to me, already has got some qualifications.

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