Cancer-Fighting Drugs of the Future: Manufactured in Spaceeditor’s pic

Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment: The Potential of Crystallizing Drugs in Space

The Challenges of Immunotherapy Drug Administration

Immunotherapy has emerged as a groundbreaking approach to combat cancer, but the administration of these drugs often involves a lengthy and invasive process. Patients must endure hours-long intravenous infusions in a hospital setting, which can be both painful and inconvenient.

The Solution: Crystallizing Proteins for Subcutaneous Injection

A simpler and less painful alternative would be to inject the drugs subcutaneously, allowing patients to receive treatment from the comfort of their own homes. However, this requires significantly higher drug concentrations, resulting in a thick, viscous formula that is difficult to inject. The answer lies in crystallizing the proteins in the drug, which enables a high concentration to be achieved in a smaller volume, without the associated viscosity. The catch? This process is nearly impossible to accomplish on Earth, as the resulting crystals are riddled with imperfections and vary in size. In the absence of Earth’s gravitational pull, however, the crystallized proteins form flawlessly in space.

The Birth of BioOrbit: Harnessing Space for the Benefit of Humanity

Enter Katie King, a visionary determined to prove that space can be utilized to help those on Earth. After completing her studies at Cambridge University and the International Space University, King founded BioOrbit in 2023 with the goal of scaling up and commercializing drug production in space. With funding secured from the European Space Agency, BioOrbit plans to test the process on the International Space Station in early 2025 and aims to partner with a pharmaceutical company for a second flight later that year.

Katie King. Photograph: Christian Trippe

Big Pharma’s Interest in Space-Based Drug Development

King is not alone in recognizing the potential of microgravity for drug development. Pharmaceutical giants like Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck have been conducting research in space for years. What sets BioOrbit apart is their focus on optimizing the process for commercial-scale production.

Navigating the Challenges of Space-Based Drug Production

Despite the immense potential, there are obstacles to overcome. Access to space is limited and expensive, with long waiting lists for rocket launches to the ISS. Regulatory issues also pose a challenge, as it remains unclear how Earth’s rules and regulations will apply in outer space, particularly in cases of patient harm caused by space-produced drugs. Researchers like Li Shean Toh from the University of Nottingham are exploring the need for a health-focused version of the Outer Space Treaty to address these concerns.

The Future of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

King’s ultimate vision for BioOrbit is to establish a permanent facility in space dedicated to scientific research, drug development, and manufacturing. As the company paves the way for this new frontier in pharmaceutical production, it may not be long before many of our medications have taken a brief journey to space before reaching our medicine cabinets.

“There is so much benefit that microgravity can give to life science research, drug development, cancer research—and more that we just don’t know yet,” says King.

The future of pharmaceutical manufacturing may lie beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and companies like BioOrbit are at the forefront of this exciting new era in medicine.