BiologIC Technologies wins share of £65m fund for space medicine

A Cambridgeshire company is working on a new way of producing medicines in space.

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) has announced £65 million in funding for BiologIC Technologies to develop new technology that will be tested aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Microgravity makes some health research easier in space than on Earth, such as studying age-related diseases and growing human organs for transplant.

“We are proud to help the UK lead the way,” said Richard Vellacott, chief executive of BioLogic Technologies.

Governments and entrepreneurs around the world are once again spending huge amounts of money on space, but it’s no longer about reaching other planets. Make it possible for humans to live there.

The movement has been dubbed “Space Race 2.0.”

Key to these plans is making astronauts self-reliant. England Announced funding to support a range of projects.

The company has already designed a system that can develop and produce vaccines and gene therapies faster than traditional methods, and it plans to use the funding to refine the system so it can work in space.

“It has to survive the pressure and heat of leaving Earth on a rocket,” Vellacott said, “and of course, in microgravity, liquids float, so we have to figure out how to contain them.”

But BioLogic Technologies is confident its system can produce more than just medicines — perhaps even produce foods and ingredients from basic biological ingredients.

This adaptability is important because on the ISS, where physical space is limited, it is more efficient for devices to be small and multifunctional.

But the experiments conducted in space aren’t just for astronauts — they also benefit us on Earth, Vellacott said.

“Studying the effects of ageing on Earth is very difficult because it takes so long, but because cells age faster in space, this type of research can be done more quickly in space, potentially speeding up the development of new treatments,” he said.

“Microgravity may also facilitate the growth of human organs, making it possible to grow organs in space and then bring them back to Earth for transplant.”

“If we can make the raw materials in space, we hope we can start making them on Earth too. Currently, we import what we lack from other places, but this is not sustainable in the long term.”

Experiments carried out International Space Station It will be mirrored at a laboratory in Cambridgeshire to monitor any differences.

Libby JacksonThe UKSA’s head of space exploration said: “The UK is extremely strong in space science and in building spacecraft and the equipment we launch into space.

“Space impacts our daily lives. The cameras in our phones were originally developed for space missions, and there are thousands of satellites in space that enable communications, payments and weather forecasting.”

“Removing gravity allows researchers to understand things in new ways.

“This technology benefits us all, so having the skills to develop it is really important.”

The funding was provided under the previous government but its release was delayed due to the general election.

A date has not yet been set for the mission to bring BiologIC’s technology into space.

“It is an honour to contribute to the UK’s world leadership in biology and space technology,” Mr Vellacott added.