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Future of Drug Development in Space: Unmanned Satellites and Vehicles

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Handbook of Space Pharmaceuticals

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Abstract

The microgravity environment of space provides new opportunities for drug discovery and development. Until recently, the majority of studies in the microgravity of space have been conducted by astronauts aboard crewed spacecraft, particularly the International Space Station. This landscape is now changing, with the development of miniaturized platforms consisting of integrated automated systems for control of environmental conditions, flow, monitoring, and signal detection and transmission. Such systems can provide a more affordable alternative for the ISS, enable specimen exposure to hazardous conditions, and prepare the ground for deep space human exploration. The chapter presents opportunities and challenges related to experimentation aboard satellites and uncrewed space vehicles. The first part describes the experience gained through the use of uncrewed spacecraft by space agencies worldwide which set the ground for currently used platforms. Next, it reviews recent innovative systems for microgravity research flown aboard nanosatellites. The final section of this chapter provides an outlook into future technologies that will enable upscaling the experimental work conducted in microgravity.

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Acknowledgments

Sara Eyal is affiliated with the David R. Bloom Centre for Pharmacy and the Dr. Adolf and Klara Brettler Centre for Research in Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SpacePharma, Herzeliya, Israel

    Yair Glick & Sara Eyal

  2. Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Sara Eyal

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  1. Yair Glick
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  2. Sara Eyal
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Correspondence to Sara Eyal .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Health College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Yashwant Pathak

  2. PUCRS, Partenon, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Marlise Araújo dos Santos

  3. BioServe Space Technologies, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    Luis Zea

Section Editor information

  1. Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Marlise Araújo dos Santos

  2. USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Yashwant V. Pathak

  3. Faculty of Pharmacy, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia

    Yashwant V. Pathak

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Glick, Y., Eyal, S. (2021). Future of Drug Development in Space: Unmanned Satellites and Vehicles. In: Pathak, Y., Araújo dos Santos, M., Zea, L. (eds) Handbook of Space Pharmaceuticals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50909-9_46-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50909-9_46-1

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