PharmaSat to bring drug testing into orbit - R&D Magazine

By NASA Ames, Press Release, Posted 04/30/09

Link: http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR~PUBCODE~014~ACCT~1400000101~ISSUE~0904~RELTYPE~PS...

"NASA is preparing to fly a small satellite weighing about 10 lbs that could help scientists better understand how effectively drugs work in space. The nanosatellite, known as PharmaSat, is a secondary payload aboard a U.S. Air Force four-stage Minotaur 1 rocket planned for launch the evening of May 5. It contains a controlled environment micro-laboratory packed with sensors and optical systems that can detect the growth, density and health of yeast cells and transmit that data to scientists for analysis on Earth. Scientists will study how the yeast responds during and after an antifungal treatment is administered at three distinct dosage levels to learn more about drug action in space, the satellite's primary goal." PharmaSat science results will be applicable both to medical care for astronauts in space, and for better understanding of basic drug actions relevant to public health care on Earth.