Pharma in Space? Innovating in Microgravity Research
Pharma in Space? Innovating in Microgravity Research Pixabay

Space X and Blue Origin have brought new attention to space travel recently. Still, the most exciting developments in zero gravity aren’t related to human-crewed flights. Instead, they come from pharma.

New tech enables pharmaceutical and biological development companies to launch remote-operated mini-labs into space to perform innovative experiments in near-zero gravity. Under these “microgravity” conditions, futuristic solutions for aging, cancer, stem-cell research, improved antibiotics, and more are being tested.

Can these microgravity experiments change the future of pharmaceutical development? Investors are betting big on a positive answer.

Microgravity research

On Earth, gravity affects all pharmaceutical development. In space, in contrast, research in microgravity conditions could lead to the detection of new biomarkers and the manufacturing of advanced products that otherwise could not have been produced. Here are a few examples:

  • Space yields biochemical structures that are orders of magnitude more defined, pure, uniform, and precise than terrestrial environments.
  • In the absence of buoyancy-induced convection, the movement of protein molecules is driven only by random diffusion and is therefore much slower than on Earth.
  • Other crystalline structures (polymorphs) may arise with better pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic properties when gravity is eliminated. Then it is possible to crystallize materials that were not successfully crystallized in 1G.
  • Microgravity substantially improves the growth of protein crystals.
  • Space dramatically alters aging and disease processes and allows the identification of new biomarkers, druggable receptors, and targeted treatments unattainable on Earth.

These examples show how microgravity allows pharmaceutical researchers to improve current drugs and potentially find new medicines at a fraction of the cost of traditional earthbound experiments. Microgravity research was first done by humans sent into space at a significant cost ($10-70 million per experiment) to perform experiments by hand. Today, companies like SpacePharma have dramatically reduced the cost ($2 million on average) by relying on fully functional, state-of-the-art mini-labs launched into space and controlled remotely from Earth.

The research that has already been done has already made inroads for the development of new antibiotics, the development of innovative drug polymorphs and patent extension generic drugs, as well of identifying potential cure mechanisms for leukemia.

The impact of this cutting-edge research on the future of pharmaceuticals is enormous but currently limited by cost. Microgravity research could change how we can prevent and treat many more diseases. And select segments of the pharmaceutical market are already rapidly growing. The Global Pharmaceutical CDMO Market is expected to grow to 236.61 Billion by 2026, increasing from 160.12 Billion in 2021 and showing a CAGR of 6.5%. The opportunities for companies facilitating microgravity research are endless.

Industry leaders

Currently, only seven companies enable space research and development to pharma companies, and most of these do not specialize in pharma and offer only manned experiments. SpacePharma has a 3-5 year lead on most competitors, as it not focuses solely on drug development but also has practiced in the experiments. Since 2017, SpacePharma has successfully completed seven launches and 25 breakthrough pharma experiments and made Fast Company ’s list of most innovative companies two years in a row, ranking second behind SpaceX in 2018 and ninth the following year.

The company has also built established relationships with SpaceX, Axiom, NASA, ISS, and several major pharmaceutical companies, and competitors will have a lot of ground to make up.

Revenue for companies operating in the microgravity pharma industry is likely to be tied to R&D services, space manufacturing services, and pharma title royalties, which have the potential to be particularly lucrative.

Conclusion

Microgravity experiments are already changing the future of pharmaceuticals. The demand for microgravity is massively growing. Expect groundbreaking developments from innovators in this space as experimentation becomes more refined and applications increase throughout the pharmaceutical industry. Research is one of the top 10 drivers of the new space ecosystem, and NASA has already signed an MOU with the FDA regarding fast-tracking regulatory protocols for space R&D.

A new age of exploration is upon us. Space is the final frontier, and innovative companies are leading the way to the future by putting the microgravity environment to good scientific use.