Description: TruSpin is developing a platform process to manufacture custom nanofibers using alternating current electrospinning (ACES) for scalable and cost-efficient drug delivery applications. Design of this platform for in-space manufacture would enhance the controllability and speed of the process, supporting the discovery and development of nanofiber-based drug delivery systems. Nanofiber-based drug delivery has the potential to improve patient outcomes by providing enhanced bioavailability and targeted and controlled drug release while minimizing toxicity and dosage frequency, exactitude that is currently lacking from conventional enteral and parenteral routes of drug delivery. Despite these benefits, advancement beyond the proof-of-concept stage has been challenged by their biopharmaceutical performance and ensuring that nanofiber production generates the necessary morphological, mechanical, and chemical properties. When working in gravity environments on Earth, changes in any of these parameters can modulate the diameter of the nanofiber while also carrying the potential for jet breaking and the formation of beads. Recognizing these limitations, TruSpin proposes to leverage the low-gravity environment on the International Space Station (ISS) to speed up the development and discovery of optimal parameters for nanofiber fabrication and drug loading. The controlled environment has the potential to significantly advance drug-loading rates while also increasing the manufacturing output rate. Toward this goal, this proposal seeks to design the nanofiber production platform for efficient implementation on the ISS. Our process would advance capabilities in drug delivery, and R&D on the ISS holds promise in providing the ideal environment for manufacturing a clinically relevant nanofiber-based drug delivery system. As such, our technology will serve medical applications with the target market being pharmaceutical and drug development companies.

Benefits: This proposal responds to topic area H8.01 In Space Production Applications. NASA explicitly states a goal in investing in the development and mastery of in-space production of biomaterials that target important terrestrial markets that will strengthen the U.S.' leadership in space manufacturing industries. TruSpin addresses this goal by proposing the fabrication of drug-loaded nanofibers in space, in the service of cancer treatment. The proposed platform also supports the In-Space Production Applications (InSPA) goal of providing benefits to humanity by developing products that significantly improve the quality of life on Earth. Our manufacturing use case at the focus of this proposal is to deliver nanofiber-based drug delivery for oncology therapeutics. By advancing capabilities in drug delivery, successful development of the technology has the potential to improve patient outcomes by providing enhanced bioavailability and targeted and controlled drug release while minimizing toxicity and dosage frequency. The low-gravity environment on the International Space Station (ISS) can speed up the development and discovery of optimal parameters for nanofiber fabrication and drug loading in a manner that may be less constrained to gravity-induced limitations on Earth. The controlled environment has the potential to significantly advance drug-loading rates while also increasing the manufacturing output rate. The nanofibers produced in space are expected to be superior to those produced on Earth, thus serving NASA's interest in the development of commercial markets in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In the service of providing societal benefits and improving quality of life on Earth, the development and manufacturing of drug-loaded nanofibers for cancer treatment has the potential to make an enormous impact. Even more broadly, the global nanofibers market is growing at an astounding CAGR of 25.1% and is anticipated to rise from its $1.826 billion in revenues in 2020, to more than $6.5 billion by 2026. TruSpin is well-positioned to ride this wave of growth, while also pushing forward new opportunities for the customization and adoption of nanofiber-based products to advance a broad spectrum of use cases. In the water filtration products market alone, which has been a core technology development area for our nanofibers to date, we anticipate capturing 1.83% of the market by 2028, translating revenues exceeding $46.3 million. Our technology can serve nanofiber applications in the areas of life science (drug delivery (focus of this proposal), wound dressings, tissue engineering and scaffolds, medical purpose membranes), environmental engineering (filtration and separation, catalysts, chemical additives), energy (fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, thermoelectric devices, photovoltaic cells), electronics (semiconductor devices, MEMS and NEMS, displays, light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical fibers), consumer products (high-tech textiles, biodegradable packaging, absorbents and adsorbents), transportation (automotive, aerospace), and others (instrumentation, thermal and acoustic insulation, defense and security).