Bringing Chemistry and Drug Discovery to Space …

InnoStudio Inc. is a disruptive innovation and space chemistry research corporation, with vital background knowledge for designing technologies and developing and testing chemical theories.

• First ever COVID-19 drug research is space through ICE Cubes.
• Consortium for Developing Coronavirus Drugs Based on Simultaneous Research in Space and Earth Environments
• Co-founder of Space Chemistry Consortium
• Organizer of Space Chemistry Symposium
• The first in the world to carry out nanomolecular chemical synthesis experiments on the International Space Station (ISS)

The microgravity environment affects convection and fluid dynamics, which results in an environment where conventional batch chemistry does not seem applicable. Therefore, we believe that flow chemistry will have a vital role in the future of space chemistry, with which the flow rate and the pressure can be controlled, and is amenable to combining multiple reactions and purification steps to create complex molecules from simple building blocks in one continuous stream, furthermore due to the extreme conditions, reactions that are difficult or impossible on Earth can be achieved in space.

The advantages of the extreme conditions for example, that in microgravity, crystals grow more slowly; thus, a more perfect alignment of molecules can be achieved, leading to the formation of higher-quality crystals and superior research data. The extreme conditions of space will help to discover new synthetic routes to molecules and/or to develop more efficient chemical applications. Flow chemistry in Space is a perfect tool to create a ‘drug-on-demand’ chemistry system in which a variety of pharmaceuticals can be synthesized, analysed, purified and formulated — fresh and when needed — from basic chemical building blocks. This will provide the supply of medical treatments for astronauts on long-duration spaceflights. Another area of use is the conversion of waste materials that are generated during the voyage and/or the natural resources of alien planets into usable chemicals to sustain human life or to further exploration. Electrochemistry provides considerable scope for CO₂-transformation (and parallel oxygen evolution) in continuous flow. Such designs use water and carbon dioxide as reactants and produces oxygen and hydrocarbon gases, such as methane. The gases can be vented into space and the oxygen is used for breathing.

In addition, many of the organic molecules that form the basis of life on Earth have also been found in space. Understanding the existence of such molecules in interstellar and inter­planetary space requires precise knowledge of the gas-phase reactions of neutral species at low temperatures. Space chemistry will enable the study of chemical reac­tions that exploit the harsh conditions (such as vacuum, high-intensity UV radiation, extreme temperatures and microgravity) that are prevalent there.

InnoStudio is leading in a number of space related chemical technologies, notably, provision of flow reactors for synthesis in space (returnable and non-returnable), space related formulation technologies (important for drug discovery and optimization in pharma, agrochemical and cosmetics industry):

• Crystallization
• Co-crystal formation
• Nanoparticle formulation
• Other technologies changing morphology
• IT technology (optimization, remote control, AI simulation and chemometrics)

Besides space chemistry, InnoStudio has been pioneering in adapting flow technologies to nanoparticle synthesis where it is working together with its US partner corporation, Agrothetis (www.agrothetis.com).

Space chemistry opens radically new perspectives for drug discovery, formulations in pharma, agro and cosmetics fields, everywhere where nanoformulation is important, like material sciences. High value created by solution of problems which are difficult to solve here on Earth, or space travel related problems where drugs, propellants, food, oxygen and other key materials should be synthesized on the spot – they are all privileged arias of space chemistry. 

For more on value proposition, please contact InnoStudio’s Space Chemistry Division

Dr. Gergo Mezohegyi

gergo.mezohegyi@innostudio.org