Biotech in Space: Microgravity, Ventures, and the Path to Production
From public labs to private stations, the near-term outlook for orbital bioprocessing and its first commercial pipelines
The renewed surge in space ambition extends beyond rockets and habitats by driving the integration of biotechnology into orbit. As humanity prepares for longer missions and eventual settlement beyond Earth, advances in life sciences are becoming as vital as propulsion systems.
In this article: Microgravity — History Brief — Space flavors of biology: Astrobiology, Bioastronautics & Bioprocess Engineering — Health Monitoring — Space Biomanufacturing — Sustaining Human Presence — Public-Private Bridge
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:
Disease modeling using microphysiological systems (tissue chips) and organoids
Stem cells and stem-cell-derived products
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.
📖 History Brief
The Space Race ignited in the heat of the Cold War, sparked by the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of Sputnik 1—the world’s first artificial satellite. In response, the United States established NASA the very next year, determined to match and surpass its rival’s extraterrestrial achievements. Just a few years later, human spaceflight became a reality: Yuri Gagarin’s historic orbital mission in 1961 and Alan Shepard’s pioneering Mercury flight set the stage for a new era of exploration. Alongside these milestones, biomedical research into life beyond Earth gained momentum. NASA’s early Mercury (1958–1963) and Gemini (1965–1966) programs pushed the limits of human endurance in space, proving tolerance to microgravity, validating spacewalks, and extending mission durations. These foundational steps culminated in humanity’s giant leap—the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 1969.
But the leap from short missions to long-duration spaceflight brought a new set of challenges. When the US launched Skylab, its first space station, in 1973, astronauts encountered profound physiological difficulties: prolonged existence in microgravity led to bone demineralization, muscle atrophy, and cardiovascular deconditioning—even with carefully designed exercise programs. These conditions created a unique opportunity to study aging, disease progression, and therapeutic interventions in fast-forward.
To neutralize these effects, researchers tested countermeasures such as lower body negative pressure devices, which provided useful data on how the cardiovascular system adapts in microgravity, even though concerns about long-term health risks remained. The Apollo–Soyuz mission in 1975 also marked an important shift: for the first time, American and Soviet crews worked together in space, exchanging medical monitoring practices and setting the stage for later international cooperation in protecting astronaut health.
The Space Shuttle Era (1981–2011) opened an entirely new chapter for biomedical research by transforming microgravity into a powerful experimental tool. Scientists could now probe musculoskeletal physiology, cardiovascular regulation, and immune function in ways impossible on Earth, all while supporting astronaut health during longer missions. Shuttle flights also deepened collaboration with Russia’s Mir space station, creating a bridge for joint biomedical studies. Cooperation reached new heights with the 1998 launch of the ISS and the arrival of its first permanent crew in 2000.
Since then, the ISS has become humanity’s primary laboratory for studying life sciences beyond Earth.
📚 Space Flavors of Biology
In January 2024 Aaron J. Berliner with the team from the Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES) released a comprehensive overview “Domains of life sciences in spacefaring: what, where, and how to get involved” in npj Microgravity. There, authors define three major fields integrating space research and biology—Astrobiology (AB), Bioastronautics (BA), and Space Bioprocess Engineering (SBE).
➕ Astrobiology
Astrobiology investigates the origins, evolution, and distribution of life, searching for habitable environments beyond Earth and signs of biology on other worlds. Mars, with evidence of past liquid water, remains a prime candidate, while icy moons like Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus, with subsurface oceans and geysers, seem as well quite promising. Curiosity and Cassini missions have uncovered organic molecules, suggesting that the building blocks of life may be widespread across the cosmos. Astrobiology also emphasizes planetary protection, preventing Earth microbes from contaminating alien environments and safeguarding Earth from potential extraterrestrial life.
Spaceflight studies aboard the ISS have shown that bacteria like Salmonella and Serratia marcescens can become more virulent in microgravity, highlighting both risks for astronaut health and the importance of countermeasures.
Apart from microbes, astrobiology considers the possibility of intelligent life and its societal impact. Ultimately, this subfield advances our knowledge of life on Earth while preparing us for safe exploration and potential settlement beyond our planet.
➕ Bioastronautics
Bioastronautics is the study of how spaceflight affects living systems, with a focus on human health and performance in extraterrestrial environments. It addresses the challenges of long-duration missions while developing technologies to safeguard crews. Prolonged exposure to microgravity and radiation can cause bone loss, cardiovascular strain, immune dysfunction, and vision problems like Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome. Isolation and confinement add further risks, including stress, depression, and cognitive decline.
To mitigate these effects, bioastronautics develops countermeasures ranging from exercise and radiation shielding to advanced air and water recycling. Model organisms play a central role: NASA’s Rodent Research program and JAXA’s Mouse Habitat Unit provide vital data on mammalian health in space, and zebrafish, fruit flies, worms, and plants contribute insights into how gravity shapes biology and how agriculture could sustain future crews. As noted above with Salmonella and Serratia marcescens, spaceflight alters microbiomes and can boost virulence in pathogens.
Addressing these risks requires not only medical strategies but also innovations in spacecraft and habitat design. Incorporating microbial control measures (e.g. advanced air and water filtration systems) reduces the likelihood of harmful microorganisms spreading in closed environments. This area of research lies at the heart of international initiatives like the European Space Agency’s MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) and NASA’s CUBES (Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space).
➕ Space Bioprocess Engineering
The idea of biotechnology as essential for space was first highlighted in the 1992 National Academies report Putting Biotechnology to Work. Today, with deep-space missions on the horizon, Space Bioprocess Engineering (SBE) is emerging as a defined discipline. SBE integrates synthetic biology and bioprocess engineering to design, build, and manage biological systems that sustain astronauts when resupply from Earth is limited. Unlike bioastronautics, which studies the effects of spaceflight on life, SBE develops the technologies that make long-term living in space possible.
Core SBE goals include in situ resource utilization (ISRU), loop closure (LC) for recycling, in situ manufacturing (ISM), and food and pharmaceutical synthesis (FPS). Efforts range from ultra-efficient carbon and nitrogen capture to programmable biomanufacturing for foods, medicines, materials, and even self-healing structures. Central to this are resilient platform organisms—microbes and plants engineered to thrive in extreme environments. Some examples: Arthrospira platensis (cyanobacteria for nutrients and pharmaceuticals), Cupriavidus necator (bioplastics), Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, and higher plants like lettuce and potatoes.
Challenges remain in safety, containment, and reliability, and NASA’s Decadal Survey (2023–2032) calls for bold investment. Its proposed BLiSS campaign (Bioregenerative Life Support Systems) seeks to harness biology for food, air, water, and waste management—making sustainable offworld habitation possible.
Let’s look at some of the companies involved in integrating biotech with space travel and research.