Technology in Space Prize Awarded to Machine Bio
Biotechnology company Machine Bio has been selected to receive up to $500,000 in grant funding through the Technology in Space Prize in partnership with the MassChallenge startup accelerator program. The Technology in Space Prize is an annual award opportunity from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) and Boeing for qualified startup companies interested in leveraging the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory for research and technology development (R&D).
With this award, Machine Bio seeks to validate proprietary technology for the synthesis of protein from a DNA template in a single step onboard the space station. The project was announced last week at the MassChallenge awards dinner in Boston.
The ISS and future space-based laboratories provide a valuable platform for drug discovery and development research and use-inspired science. However, methods for the production of pure proteins needed for drug discovery research require the cultivation of large volumes of cells and time-consuming purification steps that are slow and labor intensive. These methods are inefficient on Earth and infeasible for a space-based laboratory, so currently, proteins are produced on Earth and then launched to space. This makes it difficult to do iterative research, which is crucial to the drug development process.
Machine Bio has designed a cell-free technology that promises to cut the cost and production time for the synthesis of pure proteins. The company’s technology produces protein faster than traditional methods, using less labor and less space. Machine Bio seeks to utilize the ISS National Lab to validate the technology’s function in microgravity. In doing so, this may allow the company to advance its technology readiness level, bringing it closer to commercialization. The ability to quickly manufacture pure protein in space would be a significant advancement for biomedical research in low Earth orbit and will be crucial for studies on future spaceflight missions farther from Earth.
In-space production applications is a strategic focus area for the ISS National Lab. Applied research and development in this area demonstrates space-based manufacturing and production to enable new business growth and capital investment and to create scalable and sustainable market opportunities.
Technology in Space Prize Has Awarded Nearly $10 Million
This marks the eighth time CASIS and Boeing have partnered to fund research for startups through the Technology in Space Prize in collaboration with the MassChallenge startup accelerator. Since its inception, the Technology in Space Prize has provided $9.7 million in funding to 30 startups for R&D sponsored by the ISS National Lab. Many of these investigations have already launched to station.
For example, biotechnology startup MicroQuin, a 2018 awardee of the Technology in Space Prize, launched an investigation to better understand the onset and progression of cancer. The project used 3D cell culture to examine cell signaling pathways involved in tumorigenesis (the process by which normal cells transform into cancer cells). MicroQuin also tested how cancer cells responded to a new cancer therapeutic the company has developed.
Other examples include LambdaVision, which took advantage of microgravity conditions to improve the manufacturing process for the company’s artificial retina, and RevBio (formerly LaunchPad Medical), which utilized the ISS to test an injectable bone adhesive to accelerate bone repair. Many startups awarded the Technology in Space Prize have gone on to obtain additional funding from outside sources to advance their research. In fact, subsequent to being awarded the Technology in Space Prize, the awardees as a group have raised more than 30 times the funding provided through the prize.
Grants awarded through the Technology in Space Prize provide seed funding and assist with hardware costs for a flight project using ISS National Lab flight and crew time allocation. To learn more about applying for the Technology in Space Prize, view entry information on the MassChallenge webpage.
(Source: ISS National Lab news release. Images from file)