Company - Space Tango
Product/Service - TangoLab, CubeLabs
- Classification
- Cargo Transportation & Landers
- Category
- ISS Utilization Service
Microgravity Flight Service (LEO)
Microgravity Flight Service (Reusable Satellite)
- Fields
- Biological Research
Biotech
Medicine and Drugs
Space Capsule
Automated Microgravity Laboratory
- Status
- Active
- First launch
- 2019
CubeLab
TangoBox
TangoBox: Next Generation Infrastructure for In-Space Production on Commercial Space Stations.
Science Missions & Experiments
- The development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) for commercial personalized medicine applications is done in space because the work to date on the space station demonstrates stem cells retain their “stemness” for longer durations in microgravity, allowing a delay of differentiation that has the potential to enable larger batches of cells to be produced.
- The pilot-scale systems, built for the space station to serve as basis for future commercial manufacturing systems, will incorporate regulatory strategies to support FDA clinical trial production of personalized medicine stem cell therapies on the space station. This includes Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) conditions, required for production of stem cell therapies for human use in patients.
- The market for this work is millions of patients suffering retinal degenerative diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness for adults over 55 years old.
- This effort builds on a validation flight completed in late 2018 that demonstrated the proof of concept for generating multilayered protein-based thin films in space using a miniaturized layer-by-layer manufacturing device. This project will further mature the manufacturing system, producing protein-based artificial retinas in space that would be returned to Earth for surgical implant to restore sight for patients suffering from degenerative retinal diseases.
- This work will establish the necessary regulatory requirements for producing biomedical products in space, including Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP). The microgravity environment of space hinders convection and sedimentation in the manufacturing process, enabling more uniform layers, improved stability and higher quality than can be produced on Earth.
- The team is working to refine current hardware capabilities and process flow, extending the capabilities of ground-based laboratories with regular access to the space station via secured flight opportunities.
- Stem cells differentiate into tissue specific progenitors that can be used in microgravity to better understand aging and immune dysfunction, providing an opportunity to accelerate advances in regenerative medicine and the development of potential new therapeutic approaches. The target market for this orbital laboratory is a new approach to stem cell translational medicine.
Status Comment / Notes
Product/Service - ST-42
- Classification
- Cargo Transportation & Landers
- Category
- ISS Utilization Service
Microgravity Flight Service (LEO)
Microgravity Flight Service (Reusable Satellite)
- Fields
- Space Capsule
Reusable
- Status
- Early stage, ?
- First launch
- Not announced
ST-42
Plans to launch its own miniature, automated orbital research platform in about 2023. The space station, named ST-42, would be little more than a capsule with solar panels for electrical power and a heat shield.[ Plans to launch a test prototype in 2023 that wouldn't have a heat shield, just to test launch and spaceflight](http://plans to launch a test prototype in 2023 that wouldn't have a heat shield, just to test launch and spaceflight)
Status Comment / Notes
Status of ST-42 is unclear as of early 2024.
Created: 2023-02-18
Updated: 2024-02-25
Sources
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