Microgravity:
Explore
biotechnology in
an entirely new
environment
We believe that harnessing microgravity has
the potential to lead biotechnology into a
new era of discovery and progress.
Benefits for
Life Science
Over 2000 experiments on the ISS have proven the beneficial effects of
microgravity on biological systems. Sounds like science fiction to you?
Convince yourself and learn more about benefits for life sciences in microgravity.
Growing cell
cultures in three
dimensions
Contrary to our planet, where cells are restricted in their
development, they can form complex 3D structures in
microgravity. This offers an entirely new perspective and
enables unexpected new discoveries when conducting
research on the behavior of cells, regenerative medicine
and the testing of drugs.
.1 Key fact
3D cell cultures reflect the real behaviour of cells in organisms more accurately, which is necessary for conducting drug discovery and modeling diseases
.2 Key fact
3D cell cultures are called spheroids or organoids. In microgravity, spheroids and organoids grow bigger and faster and they survive longer.
Ongoing exposure to microgravity initiates immune
dysfunction, bone loss, cardiovascular deconditioning and
loss of skeletal muscle. These artificial representations of
aging and existing diseases on Earth can be useful in
modeling human diseases. Therefore, microgravity enables
valuable insights and testing opportunities for therapeutics
in accelerated models of aging or disease.
.1 Key fact
The fact that microgravity accelerates aging was first discovered in astronauts. It has since been extensively studied on cell cultures.
.2 Key fact
To enable working with microgravity-accelerated aging models on Earth, microgravity simulating devices were developed.
The structures of proteins and other large molecules define
their function. Crystallization is a crucial method for
studying the structures of biomolecules. Microgravity allows
molecules to create larger crystals of higher quality, which
gives scientists the opportunity to examine the functions of
molecules important for health and disease in an
unprecedented manner. Pharmaceutical companies can
therefore improve drug design for innovation in drug
manufacturing, storage, specificity and efficacy.
.1 Key fact
Crystals can provide a more efficient way of administrating biological therapeutics to patients.
.2 Key fact
Some therapeutics, e.g. antibodies, are biological macromolecules.
In synthetic biology, the structures and mechanisms of life
are being recreated through back-engineering. This offers
the possibility of a deeper understanding and a better
leveraging of those structures and mechanisms. Space’s
extreme environment adds up to the tools used in synthetic
biology, bringing many benefits to the discipline.
.1 Key fact
When put under stress, many (micro)organisms adapt through natural selection. Leveraging the extreme environment of space for creating stress can lead to surprising results in artificial evolution.
.2 Key fact
Gravity is a force life has always been subjected to. Depleting cells and organisms from this force can help understanding and recreating some of life’s most fundamental and ancient mechanisms.
Plants have the ability to “feel” gravity to know in which
direction to grow. In space, this reference point is not
presence, which has considerable effects on plant growth
and development. Studying these phenomena leads to
valuable insights into plant biology, useful for innovating the
ways humans use plants both on Earth and in space.
.1 Key fact
Life Support Systems are closed loops in which the waste generated from the production of one product feeds the organism producing the next product. They are used to avoid wasting the scarce resources available in space. Plants play an important role in such systems, as they are the main source of nutrients and raw materials for humans.
.2 Key fact
Implementing the knowledge of Life Support Systems on Earth can lead to more closed loops in the production of our food and many raw materials. This will in turn lead to more sustainable production paradigms.
Microgravity strongly influences fluid dynamics and helps us
to better understand the complexity of biomedical devices
involving fluids. This is especially beneficial at nanoscale
level, where forces like diffusion are substantial.
Microgravity thus helps e.g. to improve drug delivery
systems or healthcare diagnostic tools.
.1 Key fact
The contents of cells are floating in the cytoplasm, a liquid. Therefore, fluid dynamics are important in understanding cellular processes.
.2 Key fact
This knowledge can be used to create devices and systems inspired from nature for more innovative healthcare.
Keytruda® is an immune-oncologic therapeutic with a monoclonal antibody as active substance. The proteic nature of mAbs makes their manufacturing lengthy and expensive, their storage difficult and their delivery to patients long and invasive. Leveraging the sedimentation- and convection-free microgravity environment on the ISS, researchers from Merck & Co. were able to produce more uniform crystals for less viscous and more stable solutions. This could optimize manufacturing and formulation, providing easier storage and less invasive treatment.
The “mighty mices” against degenerative muscle and bone diseases
The loss in muscle mass and bone density during spaceflight is often studied in the context of degenerative muscle and bone disease. In one study, mice were genetically engineered to lack myostatin, the protein responsible for muscle growth-inhibition, then sent on the ISS. These mice did not suffer from muscle or bone density loss while in microgravity, contrary to the control wildtype. More interestingly, injecting a myostatin inhibitor into the wildtype during or after spaceflight led to an increase in both muscle mass and bone density.
Drugs from space against osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is an aging process in which bone remodeling imbalance leads to a critical loss in bone density. To study the efficiency of osteoporosis drug candidates, potent models of the disease are needed. As the microgravity environment leads to accelerated aging, it can be used to produce quicker and better disease models for drug discovery. This is illustrated by the space-flown mice used to test the efficacy of two potential osteoporosis drugs by the company Amgen, namely Evenity and Prolia.
In-space printed organs
Cell cultures can greatly benefit from microgravity. On Earth, cells grow in two dimensions but in absence of a force pushing them down, they build three-dimensional structures more similar to their physiological environment. This was the inspiration for developing 3D bioprinters for manufacturing human tissue in microgravity. The multiple applications for this technology are fascinating, ranging from solving organ transplant issues to developing better models for preclinical drug development.
Meet our scientists
Stefan Oschmann
Pharma Advisor & Investor
Stefan Oschmann started his career in pharma occupying diverse managing positions at MSD. He then worked at Merck, starting by leading the Healthcare department and developing the global strategy to become CEO of Merck in 2016. With his award-winning leadership skills he served Merck until 2021. Currently, Stefan works as chairman at both UCB and AiCuris Anti-infective Cures.
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