Eli Lilly, like a child still giddy from their first roller coaster ride, is ready to go back into space. And so it will.
The pharmaceutical giant is teaming up with aerospace manufacturer Redwire for the second time in four months to try out drug discovery in space, this time with an emphasis on chronic diseases, the companies announced Tuesday. At the core of the venture is Redwire’s pharmaceutical manufacturing platform, PIL-BOX, designed for use beyond Earth. It allows pharmaceutical companies to “grow small-batch crystals of protein-based pharmaceuticals” in space, according to Redwire.
Experiments from Lilly’s last trip in October found that microgravity boosted insulin crystal growth. The focus then was on treatments for diabetes, pain and cardiovascular disease. Now, the Big Pharma plans to further investigate and tinker with the science behind the crystals and how they benefit drug discovery. The new test, PIL-02, will launch on SpaceX’s upcoming resupply mission, slated for March 21.
The irony in going to space is that back on Earth, its drug discovery endeavors have gone pretty well as of late, with Lilly sporting the largest market cap of any pharmaceutical company in the world. The Big Pharma’s hot streak was doused with cold water last week, however, after FDA officials delayed a decision on the Alzheimer’s disease med donanemab to convene agency advisers to discuss the company’s data. Most still expect the drug to be approved, but, for the time being, Lilly’s Alzheimer’s program has come off warp speed.
Meanwhile, on planet Redwire, the aero-manufacturing company is working on an updated version of its PIL-BOX platform called PIL-BOX Dynamic Microscopy Cassette. The upgraded tech will allow companies to watch crystal formation as it happens, according to Redwire.
Lilly’s efforts follow in the moonsteps of Bristol Myers Squibb, which began working on similar experiments in conjunction with the International Space Station back in 2020. It sent more medicines up in 2023 so that scientists could study how they crystalize in microgravity.