Pharmaceutical Experiments for Microgravity

Pharmaceutical experiments in microgravity have tremendous advantages over land-based methods. In a microgravity environment, factors such as the transport of the macromolecules in solution, natural convection, and sedimentation are altered, allowing Brownian motion and interatomic forces to dominate. In such an environment, crystal nucleation and growth can be altered, whether the goal is to crystallize the most stable form, create a purely amorphous sample, or find new forms. We will present results using model compounds such as L-histidine, indomethacin, or ritonavir. With the launch scheduled for 2023, current research is focused on designing and testing hardware that will provide antisolvent crystallization, evaporation, and melt/quench capabilities. The compounds are also being studied to understand their behavior on land and under various stability conditions that they may experience pre-launch, during launch, and during re-entry. This presentation will focus on solid-state chemistry whereas our partner's presentation will focus on the hardware aspects.