Drug Development Experiment in Space... Space LiinTech Launches Module to ISS

Pursues Demonstration of Protein and Drug Candidate Co-crystallization Using Microgravity
Second Space Mission in a Week Following Nuri Satellite Launch... Aiming for Commercialization

Space LiinTech, a domestic company specializing in space medicine, is set to conduct protein crystallization experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for drug development. The company plans to use the microgravity environment in space to analyze the structures of drug candidates and develop the work into a commercial research service for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Space LiinTech said it launched its artificial intelligence (AI)-based space medicine experiment module, BEE-PC2, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:33 p.m. Korea time on October 13. The launch took place as part of CRS-35, a commercial resupply mission to the ISS for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Space LiinTech's space medicine experiment module BEE-PC2. Courtesy of Space LiinTech.

BEE-PC2 is a follow-up mission to BEE-PC1, a space medicine experiment conducted aboard the ISS in 2025. This time, the mission will focus on a "co-crystallization" experiment, in which proteins and small-molecule drug candidates are crystallized together.

Co-crystallization is used to analyze, at the atomic level, where and how a drug candidate binds to a target protein. This can help researchers understand how a drug candidate works and improve its structure.

In space, reduced sedimentation and convection caused by gravity may create conditions favorable for the growth of crystals of certain proteins. However, whether crystal quality actually improves must be verified by comparing the results with those of ground-based experiments.

Space LiinTech plans to assess the commercial viability of a contract research organization (CRO) service that covers the selection of proteins and compounds, the design and operation of space experiments, sample retrieval, and structural analysis using X-ray diffraction.

ISS and standalone satellites used in tandem as company pursues space medicine commercialization

This is the second space medicine mission in a week, following the launch on October 7 of BEE-1012, a 12U-class space medicine satellite carried on the fifth launch of the Nuri rocket.

Space LiinTech is developing both ISS-based experiment modules and standalone satellite platforms. It plans to use the ISS to precisely analyze retrieved protein crystals, while using standalone satellites to test long-term exposure to the space environment, autonomous operations, and the feasibility of manufacturing pharmaceuticals.

In the long term, the company plans to expand beyond contract research for drug development into contract manufacturing organization (CMO) services for pharmaceuticals using the space environment.

Yoon Haksoon, CEO of Space LiinTech, said, "If BEE-PC1 in 2025 was the first demonstration to confirm the potential of Korea's space medicine technology, BEE-PC2 is an important step toward developing that technology into a service that can be used in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. We will expand our services to global pharmaceutical and biotech companies by using the ISS and standalone satellites."

Meanwhile, Space LiinTech is developing microgravity-based protein crystallization technology and a commercialization model for space medicine through projects including the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Korea ARPA-H Project and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' Deep Tech Challenge Project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.