Company Developing Potential Therapeutics Using
Microgravity
When space shuttle Discovery finally
lifts off from the pad on its STS-119 mission, it will be carrying
some nasty bacteria... that scientists hope will help earthbound
doctors fight virulent infections.
Astrogenetix announced Wednesday it will conduct a
microgravity-based virulence survey study aboard Discovery,
utilizing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),
Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans.
The research will utilize the unique environment of microgravity,
which is known to impact infection potential of microbes, to help
discover potential targets for a vaccine or therapeutic agent to
fight infections caused by those microbes.
"Discovery of therapeutic targets for MRSA and the other
microbes on this survey flight represents the continued growth of
our efforts to use microgravity to develop novel pharmaceutical
agents," said Thomas B. Pickens III, Chairman of Astrogenetix. "The
microgravity environment and its unique characteristics enable us
to save lives on Earth by developing products in space."
The work on MSRA builds on the company's previous space-based
research focusing on Salmonella, which resulted in the discovery of
a vaccine target for that pathogen. MRSA is a type of bacteria that
causes "staph" infections that are resistant to treatment with
usual antibiotics. According to the Center for Disease Control, it
is estimated that MRSA is responsible for more than 94,000 serious
infections and 19,000 deaths annually.
"Through expertise gained by sending more than 1,500 science
experiments into space, we are positioned to commercialize products
derived from microgravity discoveries," added John Porter, Chief
Executive Officer of Astrogenetix. "As ISS nears completion we are
excited about the opportunity to utilize the ISS National Lab to
develop a platform for drug discovery."
The 2005 NASA Authorization Act
designated a portion of the ISS as a National Laboratory, and NASA
has provided an opportunity for non-governmental entities to
conduct research and development and potentially industrial
processing on board the ISS. Astrogenetix is one of the first
commercial entities to hold a Space Act Agreement with NASA for use
of the ISS National Lab.
"The science that Astrogenetix has been conducting for almost
two years demonstrates the value of microgravity and NASA is very
supportive of their progress," said Mark Uhran, NASA Assistant
Associate Administrator for the ISS. "This is the first of many
high value products that we believe can be produced on the ISS and
we encourage Astrogenetix to continue their pursuit of vaccines and
therapeutics that are discovered in space for the benefit of human
health on Earth."
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