Space-Based Vaccine May Go to Human Trials
Space.com
A vaccine created from research in space may soon be put to the test in human trials for the first time.
The Astrogenetix company, based in Austin, Texas, has begun applying for approval to begin testing their space-designed salmonella vaccine on humans. Salmonella are disease-causing bacteria responsible for about 40,000 infections in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eating contaminated food is one primary means of infection.
“If all the stars are aligned, we could potentially be in human trials sometime next year,” said Astrogenetix CEO John Porter. “That’s a real milestone.”
The company created its vaccine candidate based on research conducted on NASA’s space shuttle flights. Astrogenetix has sent up experiments on 23 shuttle missions so far – most recently on Discovery’s flight earlier this month. The company plans to continue with the six remaining missions on NASA’s current schedule.
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