Final frontier for meds? UK startup sends drug-making into space
Summary
A UK startup named BioOrbit sent a small machine called Box-E to the International Space Station to grow very pure protein crystals in space. These crystals can help make cancer drugs that patients can inject themselves at home, reducing hospital visits and improving drug stability.Key Facts
- BioOrbit is a British startup launched in 2023 by Dr. Katie King and Dr. Leonor Teles.
- Box-E, about the size of a microwave, was sent to space on 15 May aboard a SpaceX rocket from Florida.
- Microgravity in space allows drug compounds to form purer and more stable crystals than on Earth.
- These crystals can make cancer drugs easier to inject, with a longer shelf life and less need for hospital infusions.
- BioOrbit aims to produce drugs at a large scale by stacking many Box-E units in orbit.
- The company raised £9.8 million from investors to develop and mass-produce this technology.
- BioOrbit won a £250,000 contract from the UK Space Agency to help manufacture drugs in microgravity.
- SpaceX supports space manufacturing as a growth market and sees pharmaceuticals as a key area.
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