Final frontier for meds? UK startup sends drug-making into space

A British startup developed a compact crystallization unit to grow ultra-pure protein crystals in orbit for cancer drug production. The unit launched on a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station, where microgravity for about six weeks enables pharmaceutical compounds to form pure, highly stable crystal structures that are difficult to achieve on Earth. After returning to Earth, the crystals can be processed into cancer medications designed for self-injection at home or work, avoiding long hospital intravenous infusions. The resulting formulations can be more concentrated with low viscosity for injection pens and have a longer shelf life. The technology targets protein and antibody drugs whose large, flexible molecules crystallize better in space.

"Onboard a SpaceX flight last week was a remarkable piece of cargo a hi-tech box destined for the International Space Station to grow ultra-pure protein crystals, with the aim of producing self-injected cancer drugs. A British startup, BioOrbit, has developed the drug-crystallisation technology at its labs in London and launched Box-E, a compact unit the size of a microwave, on the 15 May rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida."

"The unit will stay in orbit for about six weeks where the effective weightlessness, or microgravity, enables pharmaceutical compounds to crystallise into pure, highly stable structures that enable drug formulations not achievable on Earth. Once back on terra firma, these crystals can be turned into cancer medications that patients can keep in a fridge and inject themselves at home or at work, instead of having to go to hospital to have immunotherapies infused intravenously over several hours."

"Gravity negatively impacts crystallisation, she says. That becomes really critical for protein drugs, antibody drugs because they are very large and very flexible molecules. So through going to space you see a much better, more superior crystallisation process than what you can achieve here on Earth. For cancer treatments, a big dose is needed and the liquid can become too thick to use in an injection pen, King says."

"Which is why we don't have these treatments at home already. Through using crystals, you can get these really concentrated formulations that will have a low enough viscosity that they can still flow through the needle. Hundreds of experiments onboard the"

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