Enabling drug development from space 

Many modern medicines begin with understanding the precise structure of proteins associated with disease. By determining a protein's shape at the atomic scale, researchers can identify potential drug targets and design therapies that interact with them more effectively. 

A critical step in this process is growing protein crystals. The quality of these crystals directly affects researchers' ability to determine protein structures and identify potential drug targets.

Associate Professor Sarah Kessans from the School of Product Design and her team are exploring how the unique conditions of space can improve this process. In microgravity, crystals can form without many of the disturbances caused by gravity on Earth, producing larger, and higher-quality crystals that provide clearer structural information.

Traditionally, protein crystallisation experiments conducted in space have required valuable astronaut time and oversight, and have limited the number of experiments performed to orders of magnitude lower than would be expected for traditional protein crystal screening on Earth. To address this challenge, the UC team has developed a compact, fully automated platform capable of conducting thousands of crystallisation experiments independently.

By removing the need for direct human involvement, the technology significantly expands the scale and efficiency of biological research that can be conducted in orbit. 

A prototype of this miniature protein crystallisation laboratory was successfully deployed to the International Space Station in 2024.  

Working alongside project partners Dawn Aerospace, Intranel, and Asteria Engineering, the next phase of the research will test components of the platform aboard Dawn Aerospace’s reusable, uncrewed spaceplane.  This vehicle, operating from the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre in Waitaha Canterbury, will provide repeated access to microgravity conditions while returning experiments safely to Earth after each flight. 

Bringing together expertise in biotechnology, aerospace, and engineering, the project demonstrates how university-industry collaboration can accelerate scientific discovery while creating new commercial opportunities. 

The long-term vision extends beyond individual experiments. The research aims to support future commercial services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking to accelerate drug development by creating reliable and scalable systems for protein crystallisation in space. 

Through this collaborative research, UC is establishing new pathways for pharmaceutical discovery while contributing to the growth of Aotearoa New Zealand's emerging space sector and creating opportunities for future commercialisation.

Talk to Associate Professor Sarah Kessans about protein crystallisation, drug discovery, space biotechnology, microgravity research, and commercial applications of space-enabled life science.