Page 40 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

Summaries of Valuation Findings
(blue = concrete benefits; grey = potential benefits; tan = new knowledge)

Investigation Title Valuation Summaries

Advanced To conduct the Advanced Astroculture Chamber (ADVASC) investigations aboard
Astroculture the ISS, engineers needed to solve the challenge of removing ethelyne from the air.
Chamber Airocide, an air purifier derived from ADVASC ethylene scrubbing technology, has led
to the direct investment of $25 million toward development of production capacity
of 60,000 to 100,000 residential units in the United States per year (est. retail value
$36 - $90 million/yr). Additionally, Airocide technology has found use across a
spectrum of commercial applications, including more than 100 Napa Valley vineyards,
hospitals, commercial markets such as Whole Foods, and food manufacturers such
as Kraft Foods and the Coca-Cola Company. With more than 320 million tons of fruits
and vegetables wasted each year, technologies such as Airocide aim to reduce global
food waste and provide a new avenue for global consumers to safely preserve their
foods for longer periods of time.
Airway Monitoring Monitoring technology initially developed to measure the fractionally exhaled nitric
oxide (FeNO) content produced by astronauts has led to a line of commercial
devices. Aerocrine’s NIOX MINO has been used to complete more than 10 million
tests since 2004, whereas NIOX VERO was introduced in 2014. In 2015, Circassia
Pharmaceuticals acquired Aerocrine for $214 million. In 2017, these NIOX devices
were the leading point-of-care FeNO monitoring products, used to perform
approximately 3.6 million tests annually in more than 8,700 locations worldwide,
with total sales of $18.4 million in the first 6 months of 2017.

Amgen Beginning in 2001, Amgen utilized the microgravity environment during several space
shuttle missions to the ISS to test three drugs. This research, along with further work
on the ground, led Amgen to pursue clinical trials that resulted in the Food and
Drug Administration’s 2010 approval of the company’s osteoporosis drug,
Denosumab (brand name Prolia). In Phase 3 trials, patients receiving Prolia
showed a 68% reduction in vertebral fractures, a 40% reduction in hip fractures,
a 20% reduction in nonvertebral fractures, and a significant increase in bone density
at all sites measured. In 2017, Prolia was reported as the market leader in bone-
health treatment with more than 850,000 active patients, representing a 20% market
share. Revenues in 2016 exceeded $1.6 billion and more than $1.9 billion in
2017—an increase of approximately 20%.

Aqua-Membrane A European Space Agency-sponsored ISS water recovery investigation has helped
the Aquaporin Space Alliance and its parent company commercialize the Aquaporin-
Inside technology for ground-based applications. This and other Aquaporin activities
has resulted in seven patents and consideration in multiple scientific journals. In
2016, Aquaporin reported $1.35 million in revenue as result of commercializing the
Aquaporin-Inside Tap Water Reverse Osmosis module for household purifiers. Their
recently developed production facility will be used to launch several more products
into the advanced water treatment, food and beverage, and desalination markets.
These products include a Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis, Seawater Reverse
Osmosis, and Forward Osmosis membranes, which were, as of June 2017, in lab
and pilot scale production.

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