Sbir phase i: space biobank: enabling high throughput space-based biotech r & d

This $273,968 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program supports the development of the "Space Biobank" by Rhodium Scientific LLC. This initiative aims to establish the first repository for microbial species optimized for the low-Earth orbit environment, enabling broader community engagement in space-based biotechnology research and development. The award, provided on March 15, 2024, will fund activities to streamline pre-flight experiment development, facilitate access to space-flown microbial samples, and enhance mission comparability through standardized biological processes. The Space Biobank is expected to significantly reduce mission timelines, provide a source of flight-adapted biological samples, and serve as a centralized repository for all space-flown microbial samples. Rhodium Scientific has extensive experience operating International Space Station (ISS) missions focused on biomanufacturing and bioprospecting, and the resulting strains will be made available through the Space Biobank. This project aims to democratize space-based R&D by enabling a broader range of scientists to engage in experiments leveraging the unique microgravity environment.

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this small business innovation research (sbir) phase i project establishing a space biobank represents a direct and real expansion of space access to a broader customer base, enhancing the scale and scope of commercial space markets. The low earth orbit (LEO) environment has been shown to be a unique testbed to discover and develop novel drugs, therapies, and nutraceuticals. As biology adapts to space, changes in physiology can provide scientists with new drug targets and secondary metabolites. In addition, physiological studies conducted on astronauts have generated high-value datasets capable of supporting a variety of aging related initiatives. These studies support the use of the LEO environment for the development of therapies treating cognitive function loss, cardiac health reduction, muscle atrophy, and bone loss. Past results from space-based r & d indicate that by enabling more biotech missions, society stands to benefit from breakthroughs in agriculture, regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and biomanufacturing. Space biobank will become the platform that enables on-orbit discovery and scalable production through reliable access to this unique biological and physical environment. This sbir phase i project will develop a space biobank, the first repository for microbial species produced from and optimized for the space environment. This initiative aims to democratize space-based research by facilitating broader community engagement. Unlike the well-established engineering standards within the space industry, biological standardization for organisms and scientific processes is lacking. The space biobank addresses this GAP, enabling teams to streamline pre-flight development, conduct experiments using space-flown strains, and enhance mission comparability. The PI?s company has operated a dozen ISS missions focused on both growth and production through targeted biomanufacturing and bioprospecting/drug discovery missions. The resulting strains and those developed for and on future missions will be made available to the biotech market through the space biobank. A suite of postflight characterizations will determine metabolic and functional modifications observed in the space environment prior to inclusion in the space biobank. Overall, the key benefits of the space biobank include 1) a significant reduction in mission development timelines; 2) a source of flight-adapted and proven biological samples to DE-risk mission objectives; 3) a global mechanism for scientists to engage in space-derived experiments; and 4) a central repository for all space-flown microbial samples. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.