The American company Redwire Corporation has signed a five-year contract with NASA worth 25 million dollars to support biotechnology and orbital operations aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This is an IDIQ format agreement (Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity), which involves the performance of numerous tasks during the validity period.
Key direction – the use of microgravity for the development of pharmaceuticals. Redwire is already implementing PIL-BOX technology, thanks to which high-quality crystals are grown in space to create new drugs and improve existing drugs. This approach avoids structural impurities, that occur on Earth and reduce the effectiveness of therapy.
Redwire's partners include major pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly, who are interested in using space conditions for research in the field of oncology, tissue engineering and development of innovative treatment methods.
A separate division of the company, SpaceMD, is engaged in the cultivation of initial crystals for the formulation of new drugs, that may have applications on Earth. in addition, Redwire participates in international biotechnology experiments, in particular, on the study of microalgae, which could potentially provide food for crews on long-duration space missions.
This contract gives Redwire a strategic position in the field of space biotechnology, whose market, according to forecasts, зростатиме на 13,2% every year and will reach 9,41 billion dollars to 2029 year. The company aims to turn space exploration into real-world applications – from improved medicines to technologies for health and sustainable development.
Source: https://www.ainvest.com