Space Vaccines

Vaccine research has been increasing and advancing for centuries. From the first vaccine for smallpox in 1796 to the more recent COVID-19 vaccine in 2020, scientists have developed various techniques and methods of vaccine development. One of these novel approaches to developing vaccines involves taking them up to space!

Studying vaccines in space began with Salmonella bacteria in 1998, funded by NASA (Space Center Houston, 2021). Researchers hoped to investigate the impacts of non-Earth environmental characteristics such as space’s microgravity and its implications on developing treatments. In microgravity environments, microbes become more virulent, which makes it easier to understand which specific proteins or factors are most integral to the growth of the bacteria (Ruttley). Knowing the mechanisms behind these bacteria, scientists can directly target those responsible features and develop treatments focused on those microbes. 

Microgravity studies have researched a variety of bacteria and viruses responsible for illnesses such as salmonella, MRSA, pneumonia, cancer, COVID-19, and more. In December 2020, COVID-19 was launched into space along with a potential treatment, remdesivir, to test the drug’s effectiveness (Guzman, 2023). Researchers tested the interaction of remdesivir with cyclodextrin, the substance that makes the drug soluble in water (thus making it safer and easily delivered to patients). The microgravity environment allowed researchers to observe the progression of the drug and its effect on the virus and make changes to increase remdesivir’s efficiency. Remdesivir is still used to this day to treat patients infected with COVID-19 and has significantly decreased the risk of hospitalization and death.

Not only is microgravity-based experimentation beneficial in understanding the biological mechanisms of these illnesses, but it also contributes to advancing medical technologies. A device at Lehigh University is planned to enhance virus detection capabilities through the separation of viral particles and bodily fluids (“NSF Funded Research,” 2021). Earth’s gravity interferes with the separation process, so by utilizing microgravity environments, the researchers will be able to understand the mechanisms of the separation process which will increase the efficiency of the device. Understanding this bioseparation process also has incredible implications for treating respiratory illnesses and effectively delivering therapies and medications.

Using space as a tool to understand the bacterial and viral mechanisms and to develop treatments from microgravity’s effects are ideas that have developed into tangible results over the last two and a half decades. As space-based medicine continues to advance, new medicines on Earth are developed and current medicines are improved; the potential of this area of research is out of this world!

Works Cited

Guzman, Ana (2023, September 29). Using microgravity to combat COVID-19. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/using-microgravity-to-combat-covid-19/ 

NSF-funded research could use microgravity to improve virus detection and respiratory illness treatments. ISS National Laboratory. (2021, November 11). https://www.issnationallab.org/nsf-funded-research-advancements-biomedicine/ 

Ruttley, Tara International Space Station plays role in vaccine development. ESA. (n.d.). https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/International_Space_Station_Benefits_for_Humanity/International_Space_Station_Plays_Role_in_Vaccine_Development

Space Center Houston. (2023, March 13). NASA vaccine research in Microgravity. https://spacecenter.org/nasa-vaccine-research-in-microgravity/