CubeSat launch platform by Vector Space Biosciences will boost space biotech

CubeSat launch platform by Vector Space Biosciences will boost space biotech by Brad Bartz Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 22, 2023

In a new collaboration, Vector Space Biosciences, Inc. has joined forces with Oracle and NVIDIA to introduce a novel small satellite launch platform for CubeSat and NanoSats, that have been specifically designed to cater to the needs of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.

This innovative platform represents a combination of several cutting-edge technologies, including a biosciences lab, a CubeSat lab, and a language modeling/AI lab. It embodies a blend of highly targeted and large biological language modeling (LLMs), generative AI, protein sequence matching, vector databases, and advanced visualizations.

The primary aim of this platform is to facilitate the development of countermeasures against diseases associated with the stressors resulting from human spaceflight. These countermeasures are not only crucial for protecting humans in space but also hold immense potential as new forms of precision medicine for the broader population.

Once in orbit data collected from the CubeSat will be transmitted back to Earth, via ground stations operated in collaboration with Microsoft Azure Space. This data, enriched with current biomedical information, undergoes preprocessing for language modeling. Subsequently, feature vectors extracted from the trained models are employed to construct real-time hidden relationship networks. These networks intricately map the connections between genes, proteins, diseases, drug compounds, and other biochemical entities.

The data emanating from CubeSats in space is uniquely valuable. It has the potential to unlock new discoveries in drug discovery, development, and design. This data is not just about novel drug creation; it also plays a critical role in drug repurposing, a key area of discovery in the pharmaceutical industry.

A recent example underscoring the importance of drug repurposing is Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (semaglutide), a weight loss drug initially developed for diabetes management. This drug has now been shown to reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, or death from heart disease by 20%, in addition to helping patients lose an average of 15% of their body weight.

Kasian Franks, the founder and CEO of Vector Space Biosciences, highlights the broader implications of their work. "Without understanding how to protect and repair the human body during spaceflight, we simply won't be establishing lunar bases or going to Mars anytime soon. However, if we focus on creating solutions in this area now, we can develop and repurpose new therapeutic applications in precision medicine that benefit all mankind, today. This is the focus of Vector Space Biosciences."

Related Links Vector Space Biosciences Space Medicine Technology and Systems