Eascra Biotech Research Blasts Off with Ax-2 Launch
Eascra Biotech Exploring Space Manufacturing Options on the International Space Station
BOSTON, May 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Research from Eascra Biotech will be onboard Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), a private crew mission to the International Space Station set to launch Sunday May 21 from Kennedy Space Station. Eascra is investigating space manufacturing of its Janus Base Nanoparticles (JBNp), an entirely new type of therapeutic delivery platform that mimics DNA.
Eascra Biotech co-founders Yupeng Chen and Mari Anne Snow, executive director Gary du Moulin, and Anne Yu, post-doc lab worker, will be at Kennedy Space Center for the launch.
“The science team packed everything and turned it over to NASA for loading this week,” said CEO Snow. “We’re set up for a secure communication link with the International Space Station (ISS), and we hope to have space-related science back in our hands by the first week of June.”
Manufacturing in Space May Help Treat Arthritis
With many potential treatment options to pursue, Eascra has opted to focus first on arthritis. On earth, in a lab, Dr. Chen and his team combined JBNps with RNA, stopped cartilage degradation and preserved it. Arthritis is a painful condition affecting one in four Americans and has no known cure. It’s a $65B market growing at 8.7% annually.
“Manufacturing in low gravity will accelerate our market entry by bolstering the structure of the JPNs, making potentially life-saving discoveries possible through stronger products,” says Eascra Biotech CEO, Mari Anne Snow. “The goal is to both build efficient in-space manufacturing processes and investigate the effects of low gravity conditions on our mRNA therapeutic delivery platform.”
About Eascra Biotech
Eascra Biotech focuses on the development of DNA-inspired Janus base nanostructures to create a family of safe, versatile, and temperature-stable nanomaterials for biomedical applications, enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of drug treatments for a variety of chronic conditions and medical needs. Eascra’s novel family of Janus base nanomaterials provide highly effective solutions for:
- mRNA and gene editing delivery systems with minimal toxic side effects.
- Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for orthopedic applications.
- Accelerated biomedical research and drug testing on simulated tissues-on-chips.
About Axiom and Ax-2
Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) will be Axiom Space’s second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking another pivotal step toward Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station and successor to the ISS. The Ax-2 mission is targeted for launch in early May 2023 and will be the first private space mission to include both private astronauts and astronauts representing foreign governments, as well as the first private mission commanded by a woman. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-2 crew aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once docked, the Axiom Space astronauts plan to spend 10 days aboard the orbiting laboratory implementing a full mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities.
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