Biotech in Space: Microgravity, Ventures, and the Path to Production

We might be entering a new era of space exploration as nations and private companies are racing to push the limits of what lies beyond Earth. China made the Tiangong space station fully operational in 2022; NASA has advanced with the Artemis program, launching its Space Launch System on an uncrewed mission as the first step toward a permanent lunar base and, eventually, crewed missions to Mars; SpaceX drew wide coverage in 2023 with the first orbital flight-test attempt of Starship—a reusable spacecraft built to carry heavy payloads into orbit and one day ferry settlers to Mars. India, too, is carving its place in human spaceflight: ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission is entering its final phase, now set for launch in 2027.

🌌 Microgravity

One of the unique features of the space environment is the microgravity condition. In 2020, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS, the nonprofit that manages the ISS National Lab) and the University of Pittsburgh’s McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine co-hosted the Biomanufacturing in Space Symposium. Held virtually, the event brought together leading experts in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and space-based research to explore how the ISS could be utilized to improve biomanufacturing. The event marked an initial move toward building a roadmap for the space-based biomanufacturing market.

Participants identified and prioritized three major areas of opportunity for R&D:

1. Disease modeling using microphysiological systems (tissue chips) and organoids
2. Stem cells and stem-cell-derived products
3. Biofabrication

What’s special about microgravity? One illustrative example comes from Merck’s research on Keytruda. By leveraging the International Space Station (ISS) for crystallization studies, Merck achieved remarkably uniform 39 μm particles, compared to the irregular 13-102 μm range typically produced on Earth. This improved consistency is beneficial for drug formulation due to improving manufacturing efficiency and delivery methods. Similarly, a promising therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD, a devastating muscle-wasting disease) was developed from a protein crystal studied aboard the ISS. TAS-205, an HPGDS inhibitor informed by ISS protein crystallography data, entered Phase 3 but was discontinued in July 2025 after missing co-primary endpoints.

Beyond protein crystallization, microgravity alters cell growth, differentiation, and tissue formation. In stem cells, microgravity reshapes the cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix, and gene expression; for example, human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes in space showed altered calcium handling and 2,635 differentially expressed genes, while blood-derived stem cells lost stemness markers and differentiated earlier into bone. The promise of space-based stem cell research is underscored by a recent Mayo Clinic experiment, launched last month aboard the SpaceX Dragon to the ISS, which investigates how bone-forming stem cells interact with the signaling protein IL-6.

Cancer research shows that microgravity drives re-differentiation: lung cancer stem cells lost stemness and underwent apoptosis, while colorectal CSCs increased CD133/CD44 double-positive populations.

These conditions also promote scaffold-free 3D spheroids and organoids, made to more accurately model tumors and improve drug testing. A great example of organoid use in disease modeling is the NIH’s Tissue Chips in Space initiative, led by NCATS in partnership with NASA and the ISS National Lab in 2017. The program investigates how organs function under the unique conditions of microgravity. By 2021, kidney tissue chips (developed by Nortis; later acquired by Quris-AI) had already flown twice to the ISS, providing valuable insight into how kidneys respond to toxic and pharmacokinetic stress. These models allow researchers to observe drug effects that might remain hidden during conventional preclinical testing.

In regenerative medicine, microgravity enables engineering of bone, cartilage, vasculature, skin, liver, and heart tissues with enhanced differentiation compared to Earth. For instance, rabbit MSCs in microgravity bioreactors formed cartilage expressing collagen I/II and aggrecan, while vascular progenitors displayed improved angiogenic potential. Additionally, in September 2023, Redwire announced that it had successfully 3D bioprinted the first human knee meniscus in space using its upgraded BioFabrication Facility aboard the ISS. The tissue, cultured for 14 days in Redwire’s Advanced Space Experiment Processor, was returned to Earth on the SpaceX Crew-6 mission for analysis. Building on this success, since late August 2024 Redwire has been equipping its bioprinting efforts with advanced 3D bioprinters supplied by the Finnish company Brinter AM Technologies.