UK start-up to develop tech for pharma factory in space – BioOrbit is investigating the potential to manufacture cancer drugs in space

A start-up is developing technology to build a pharmaceuticals factory in space that could help improve the lives of patients undergoing antibody treatments for cancer and other diseases. Currently, for patients undergoing antibody cancer treatments, this involves spending hours at a time in hospital to undergo intravenous infusions, which are both time consuming and invasive. To address this issue, start-up company BioOrbit is aiming to transform how this treatment is administered as it investigates the potential to manufacture antibody cancer therapy drugs in space. These drugs would be administered from the home just as with insulin, which is itself composed of small crystals. When antibodies are crystallised in space, in the absence of earth’s gravity, this allows for the creation of superior quality crystals compared to those formed on earth.

BioOrbit is one of the most recent innovative companies to join the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre United Kingdom (ESA BIC UK).

Published on the 7th of november 2023. Read the full news report following this link.