Eascra Biotech research will be aboard a SpaceX mission that is scheduled to launch this month, continuing the startup’s ongoing work producing their JBNps (Janus Base Nanoparticles) in space for use in advanced medical treatments on Earth.
Eascra Biotech’s JBNps can penetrate joint cartilage, kidneys and solid tumors, carrying treatments to hard-to-reach tissues and offering new opportunities to treat conditions such as arthritis, kidney disease and cancer. By manufacturing the JBNps in space, microgravity offers optimal conditions for creating high-quality, consistent, and orderly structures that are safe and stable delivery vehicles for RNA medicines, gene editing, and other therapeutics.
Each flight provides the Eascra team with more data for producing JBNps in space at scale. JBNps produced on SpX32 will undergo advanced testing on Earth in preparation for pre-IND talks with the FDA and provide valuable insights into the buildout of a fully autonomous production process the company will implement in future planned missions.
Eascra is the first company to produce nanoparticles in space for advanced medical applications on Earth,” said Mari Anne Snow, CEO. “Space manufacturing is an opportunity to build a better, more effective therapeutic on an accelerated timeline that can drastically improve patient’s lives. We are achieving major product development gains faster due to the unique properties of microgravity. Traditionally, it’s taken years and millions of dollars to get a single flight to space, making this type of effort unthinkable in the past. But due to the rise of the private space economy, advances in technology and the build out of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) infrastructure that can support the needs of commercial production, things are changing rapidly. At the current pace of implementation and investment, what was once unthinkable is achievable in the foreseeable future. Eascra’s SpX32 flight marks our fifth mission in just two years. We are proving space production is not only technically possible, but financially advantageous once the infrastructure is in place.”
About Eascra Biotech
Eascra Biotech is an early-stage nanomedicine startup providing an advanced therapeutic delivery platform capable of delivering RNA, gene editing, and other therapeutics to hard-to-reach treatment sites, such as articular cartilage, kidneys and solid tumors. Our mission is to advance our technology for the benefit of humankind. Eascra’s proprietary delivery mechanism, a Janus Base Nanoparticle (JBNp) invented by Eascra co-founder, Dr. Yupeng Chen, mimics DNA and is customizable for different treatment indications. Eascra is working with NASA, the ISS National Laboratory™, and a variety of private space companies to accelerate our go-to-market strategy. We are actively seeking commercial partnerships with companies in need of innovative delivery mechanisms to expedite the development of cutting-edge treatments that enhance patient outcomes.
