Case Study
Manufacturing Nanomaterials to Treat Disease
MicrogravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. enables production of high-quality therapeutic nanomaterials
Challenge
Researchers developed nanomaterials that could treat osteoarthritis and other diseases, but gravity-driven forces cause defects during manufacturing on Earth.
One in seven Americans has osteoarthritis, a condition in which joint cartilage breaks down over time, causing painful inflammation. Currently, the only long-term solution is joint replacement surgery, which is costly and requires a long recovery. University of Connecticut researchers developed Janus base nanomaterials (JBNs) that could regenerate cartilage in osteoarthritis patients and even treat other diseases like cancer. The spinoff company Eascra Biotech was formed to develop JBNs as commercial products, but a challenge arose during the production of the nanomaterials. JBNs are composed of synthetic molecules that self-assemble into structures resembling human DNA, and gravity-driven forces like convection cause the molecules to aggregate in some places during assembly. This reduces the uniformity of the nanomaterials, resulting in defects that reduce their quality.
Industries:
Pharmaceutical, Medical, Orthopedics, Oncology
Strategic Focus Area:
In-Space Production Applications(Abbreviation: InSPA) InSPA is an applied research and development program sponsored by NASA and the ISS National Lab aimed at demonstrating space-based manufacturing and production activities by using the unique space environment to develop, test, or mature products and processes that could have an economic impact.
Research Area:
Therapeutic Development
Institution:
University of Connecticut and Eascra Biotech
ISSInternational Space Station NATIONAL LAB SOLUTION AND IMPACTFUL OUTCOME
JBNs produced in space have significantly higher quality, resulting in better therapeutic outcomes.
Through a series of ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations, the research team tested the production of JBNs in space, where gravity-driven forces are greatly reduced. In-space production significantly increased the uniformity of JBNs and improved their structure, achieving up to a 40-percent improvement in the structure of Eascra’s nano-matrix product. The team also found that the higher-quality JBNs resulted in better functional outcomes. Through continued spaceflight investigations, Eascra is optimizing its in-space production procedures and is developing an automated system to scale up space-based JBN manufacturing on future platforms in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles..
INVESTIGATORS
Yupeng Chen
Associate Researcher, University of Connecticut
Co-Founder, Eascra Biotech
Mari Anne Snow
Co-Founder and CEO, Eascra Biotech
The University of Connecticut lab team led by Yupeng Chen (top right).
Media Credit: University of Connecticut
“We have refined our production procedure and verified that our nanomaterials can be better produced in microgravity, and we achieve not only better uniformity but also better bioactivity.”
– Yupeng Chen, Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut and Co-Founder of Eascra Biotech
APPLICATION
Eascra’s space-manufactured JBNs could revolutionize drug delivery and provide more effective treatments for osteoarthritis and cancer.
Janus base nanoparticles could be injected into the joints of osteoarthritis patients, delivering RNA-based drugs that stop cartilage breakdown and stimulate cartilage cell formation. Eascra’s Janus base nano-matrix could also be injected to provide a scaffold that supports cartilage cell growth and maintenance. Janus base nanoparticles could also improve cancer treatment. The nanoparticles can directly deliver cancer drugs into solid tumors that are difficult to penetrate. The nanoparticles encapsulate the drugs, preventing them from affecting other body parts and greatly reducing side effects. Additionally, because JBNs mimic DNA, the nanoparticles do not cause an immune system response, allowing the cancer drugs to remain in the tumor for an extended period.
Note: This content is abridged from an article originally published in Upward,
the official magazine of the ISS National Lab.
