Pharmaceuticals and Life Science

Enhancing Life Sciences using Microgravity

Overview

The pharmaceutical industry is leveraging the unique conditions of space to revolutionize drug development and production. Companies such as Merck, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, and numerous universities and research institutions have utilized the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to explore drug development and delivery, new formulations and stability of drugs, regenerative medicine, and cell biology, all in attempt to advance therapies and medical treatments. Previous research in space has proven out the superior environment for R&D and now we are on the cusp on manufacturing in space for far superior seed material for production on Earth. We are now at an inflection point that will allow the production of these critical therapies to take place in much higher quality and at scale in LEO. Life Science research is one of the most studied areas of microgravity research. Since the Shuttle era, life science experiments have spanned from cell culture to bacteria culture to animal research models.

Pharmaceuticals and Life Science Applications

Accelerated Disease Modeling

3D Bioprinting

Tissue Chips

Stem Cell Biology

Regenerative Medicine

Medical Device Implants

Vaccine production

Monoclonal antibody production

Cellular Biology

Macromolecular Crystallization

Why Space for Pharmaceuticals and Life Science

Space offers an unparalleled environment for advancing pharmaceuticals and life sciences, providing unique conditions that cannot be replicated on Earth. Microgravity, the hallmark of space, eliminates the effects of gravity-driven forces, creating a setting where natural processes can occur with remarkable precision and clarity. This exceptional environment enables groundbreaking research and development in various biomedical fields, offering numerous advantages:

Why Space for Macromolecular crystallization?

Benefits for macromolecular crystallization enabled by microgravity include:

Avoidance of a single nucleation site
No contribution from convective flow (purely diffusive transport at interfaces)
Free suspensions
Perfect spherical shapes
Symmetric growth
Controlled growth with dendritic systems
Undercooling, which could be easier to achieve
No solute buildup
No precipitating out of solution
Defect or nearly defect free crystal structure

Why Space for Macromolecular crystallization?

While vascularization of tissue still poses a problem in microgravity, just as it does in terrestrial labs, the lack of tissue compression in microgravity offers advantages towards vascularization of tissue. The microgravity environment of space offers enough advantages to overcome these limitations. The advantages of doing regenerative medicine in space includes:

Stem cells show enhanced stemness
Cells form 3D structures without the aid of scaffolding/matrices
Cell-cell interactions are more like that seen in the human body
Changes in cell gene expression
Cells do not sediment
3D tissue constructs do not collapse under their own weight

Why Space for Stem Cells?

The lack of capabilities currently frustrates the efforts to perform certain parts of proof of concept manufacturing, but those limitations can be overcome. The advantages of working with stem cells in microgravity include:

Stem cells show enhanced stemness
Cells form 3D structures without the aid of scaffolding/matrices
Cell-cell interactions are more like that seen in the human body
Changes in cell gene expression
Cells do not sediment

Why Space for Tissue Chips?

The advantages of working with tissue chips in microgravity include:

Cells form 3D structures without the aid of scaffolding/matrices
Cell-cell interactions are more like that seen in the human body
Changes in cell gene expression
Cells do not sediment
Accelerated disease modeling with multiorgan systems

Why Space for 3D printing?

The advantages of working with tissue chips in microgravity include:

Cells form 3D structures without the aid of scaffolding/matrices
Cell-cell interactions are more like that seen in the human body
Changes in cell gene expression
Cells do not sediment
Accelerated disease modeling with multiorgan systems

Why Space for Accelerated Disease Models?

Microgravity offers an accelerated model for a variety of diseases that affects the aging population of the world, as well as being a model for immune disfunction. The microgravity environment allows cells to act more like they do in the human body, and combined with the accelerated disease models makes it an ideal environment for studying these disease models and immune disfunction in a way that is not possible terrestrially.

Why Space for Vaccines?

Microgravity could be effective in studying viral virulence to aid in increasing our understanding of viral virulence in host cells. Also, with decreased immune function in microgravity understanding host-defense mechanisms within the immune system and how to improve those defenses could be studied and lead to an improved anti-viral or vaccine for viruses. Examining viral latency in microgravity could support understanding changes in gene expression of the cells and understanding when the virus begins to replicate again. Decreased immune function in microgravity could also lead to enhanced understanding of viral latency.
Benefits for doing R&D and manufacturing of vaccines in microgravity:

Changes in microbial behaviors
Increases in virulence/pathogenicity
Immune disfunction for more effective vaccine development and testing
Changes in cellular physiology
Potential changes in antibody structures due to diffusion driven environment

Why Space for Medical Device Implants?

Creating medical device implants in space in the realm of new biocompatible or bioresorbable materials is interesting due to the lack of sedimentation and convection in microgravity that could lead to lighter materials with improved performance. Implanted bioactive materials benefit from the diffusion driven environment for finding more effective ways to dose medication through these devices.

Pharmaceuticals and Life Science

Overview