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| Advanced Separation Payload |
| SpaceHab |
| Prime: Chiaki Mukai | Principal Investigator: Dr. Charles Lundquist, Director, Consortium for Materials Development in Space, University of Alabama, Huntsville |
| Backup: Pedro Duque |
| Overview |
| The Advanced Separation Space Bio-Processing facility will support three major commercial investigations: the Hemoglobin Separation experiment; the Microencapsulation experiment; and the Phase Partitioning experiment. The facility is making use of major advances in separation technology--obtained through previous research by Space Hardware Optimization Technology, Inc. with the Consortium for Materials Development in Space, a NASA Commercial Space Center in Huntsville, Ala. Recombinant Hemoglobin Research This investigation will allow researchers to evaluate advanced separation technology for a recombinant--or genetically engineered--hemoglobin product. The development of such a product could be used as a replacement for whole human blood. Findings from this experiment may help solve many worldwide medical problems associated with blood supplies and blood products, such as limited shelf life, low-temperature storage requirements, donor shortage, requirements for typing and cross-matching, and infectious disease transmission. The experiment will be conducted in the Advanced Separation Space and Bio-Processing Facility, a device used to process biological samples. It enables unique separation, purification, and classification of biological materials, a vital step in developing important new biomedical and pharmaceutical products. Microencapsulation Research The primary microcapsule being produced will encapsulate two complementary drugs, an antitumor drug and an immune stimulant, to create a potent time-released drug for colon cancer treatment. The data gained from this research will help advance microencapsulation technology and lead to improved treatments. Experiments such as these could eventually lead to the development of anti-tumor drugs that allow delivery of higher doses of chemotherapy to specific treatment sites, reducing side effects in cancer patients. The experiment will be conducted in the Advanced Separation Space Bio-Processing Facility. Phase Partitioning Research This investigation will give researchers better insight into methods for isolating specific cell populations. Researchers will try to develop a much higher resolution, more effective cell isolation procedure. Findings of this experiment have the potential to impact numerous medical treatments. In diabetes research, one of the challenges is to develop methods for isolating insulin-producing cells in the pancreas so that they may be studied or used for implantation in advanced procedures. The experiment will be conducted in the Advanced Separation Space Bio-Processing Facility. |
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| History/Background |
| One of the major challenges facing medical and pharmaceutical researchers is separating different cells, and cell components, from one another. The ability to do this accurately and reliably is critical to the understanding of biological processes and the development of new and improved treatments for a variety of maladies. |
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| Benefits |
| The use of space facilitates the Space Product Development Office goal to support U.S. industry in the improvement of existing products and services; in the creation of new products, services, and employment opportunities through the application of the space environment; and from knowledge gained from space research. |
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