Page 167 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

B4H 3rd Edition

Monoclonal antibodies make up the majority of
therapeutic biologic drugs. Biologics are made from
large, complex molecules derived from living organisms
Protein Crystal such as microorganisms or human or animal cells.
Growth in Space However, monoclonal antibodies are not very soluble,
Shows Pathway to making it difficult to achieve highly concentrated
Duchenne’s Muscular formulations of drugs like Keytruda®. Producing high-
Dystrophy Treatment Economic quality crystalline suspensions of monoclonal antibodies
Scientific
Valuation
Valuation
On the International Space Station, Japanese would enable pharmaceutical companies to change
scientists crystallized a human prostaglandin the drug formulation and switch from intravenous
D2 synthase-inhibitor (H-PGDS/HQL-79 administration to an injection. Besides greatly improving
ECONOMIC
SCIENTIFIC
complex), which plays a critical role in the quality of life for patients, injections would save time
VALUATION
VALUATION
and reduce costs.
formation of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy
(DMD). This allowed researchers to identify a The space station serves as an ideal platform for
new molecule, TAS-205, which is considerably protein crystallization experiments that grow large, high-
more effective than HQL-79 at mitigating the quality crystals, or crystal complexes of proteins bound
expansion of muscle necrosis in mice and to small molecules, for analysis aimed at structure-
dogs. A Phase I study sponsored by the based drug design. The absence of the physical forces
multinational Taiho Pharmaceutical Corporation of gravity and decreased fluid motion in microgravity
make it possible to produce more ordered, high-quality
verified the TAS-205 inhibitor to be safe for use crystals that often provide higher-resolution structures.
in humans. Taiho Pharmaceutical has continued
to sponsor research on TAS-205 and, in “When you’re trying to get very high quality and very
October 2017, completed a 24-week uniform crystals, it’s important to have a really slow
Human Earth Observation Innovative Global Economic
and orderly process by which those molecules come
Phase II trial with 33 DMD patients.
together to form a crystal,” Truppo said. “The more
Health and Disaster Technology Education Development
Response you minimize movement within the solution and rely
of Space
solely on the ability of the molecules to one by one
come together and build the crystal lattice, the more
likely you’ll get a highly ordered, pure crystal.”
Microgravity allows testing of unique preparations,
Improving Treatments With Tiny Crystals
which answers basic science questions that can
Cancer patients often receive treatments through a be applied to drug development on the ground and,
slow intravenous infusion that takes several hours in a ultimately, manufacturing. Merck researchers hope
doctor’s office or hospital. One day, thanks to research to learn more about the key variables affecting crystal
aboard the ISS (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_ growth that could then be applied to pharmaceutical
pages/station/main/index.html), those same applications of interest back on Earth.
treatments may become as simple as a quick injection.
A team of Merck researchers led an investigation,
PCG-5, seeking to grow the therapeutic monoclonal
antibody Keytruda® in highly ordered, uniform crystalline The space station serves as an ideal
form. The research aims to improve the drug purification
process as well as drug formulation and delivery. platform for protein crystallization
“If we can simplify the administration, it would be better experiments that grow large,
for the patient and practitioner, and it would make the high-quality crystals, or crystal
entire process a little easier to handle,” said Matthew
Truppo, executive director and head of Chemical complexes of proteins bound to
Biotechnologies and Global Structural Sciences at small molecules, for analysis aimed
Merck (https://www.merck.com/index.html).
Merck’s investigation is different from previous crystal at structure-based drug design.
growth experiments in that it grows a crystalline
suspension of millions of tiny uniform crystals.

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