Expanse Bio: Accelerating Space Biotech with Hub for Research and Funding

1. Overview

We are launching Expanse Bio, an open innovation hub to accelerate space biotech translational research. Space offers significant new challenges and opportunities for biology. Microgravity enables new methods for medical research, while the space environment also poses critical hurdles to expanding life into the solar system.

The hub will pursue 3 main complementary goals to accelerate space biotech impact:

(1) build an open knowledge platform,

(2) provide a forum to integrate stakeholders across the value chain,

(3) support financing of high-impact space bio research by leveraging blockchain and conventional grants.

Expanse Bio seeks to advance research on 8 fronts. The first 4 are focused on space research for Earth applications and the next 4 on in-space applications.

Space for Earth:

Protein crystallization for structural biology
Antibody crystallization for drug development
Organoid growth for disease modeling
Organs-on-chips disease and drug models

Space for Space:

Life cycle support systems
Biomanufacturing in-space
Astronaut health
Terraforming & biomining

Expanse Bio will be built in several phases. We are currently fundraising for phase 1:

Develop website and knowledge hub
Grow our online community
Establish social media presence
Publish a white paper on space biotechnology uses cases
Create an advanced funding roadmap

2. Introduction

Space biotechnology is rapidly evolving with applications in drug discovery, regenerative medicine, bioprinting in-space, life support systems, and human health beyond Earth^1-2.There are already major success stories of in-space research impacting drug development such as with Keytruda, an FDA-approved immunotherapy drug whose crystallization was optimized in microgravity by Merck on the ISS. Keytruda will now commence sales of a subcutaneous injection version of the drug instead of intravenous, improving the lives of millions of patients. Meanwhile, over 500 protein crystal growth experiments have been conducted on the ISS for improved molecular structure determination^3-6. Despite this promise, much of space bio research remains fragmented, confined within academic institutions or isolated commercial efforts resulting in limited pathways for translation and scale. This separation makes it harder to share knowledge, slows down collaboration and uptake in the sector, and slows down progress of research into real applications. Expanse Bio aims to democratize knowledge, activate new partnerships, and fund high impact research.

An open innovation model can significantly accelerate translational research in space biology by fostering collaboration across academic, industrial, and governmental stakeholders. By pooling expertise, resources, and infrastructure, such a model increases the efficiency of research and accelerates the readiness of biological payloads for spaceflight⁷. To operationalize this framework, structured matchmaking mechanisms are essential. A dedicated hub that systematically connects academic researchers with space companies, and funding vehicles, can align fundamental discoveries with industrial applications, thereby creating sustainable translational pathways. This matchmaking also provides the foundation for a viable long-term business model for Expanse Bio.

In parallel, the hub should act as a knowledge platform by publishing open-access scientific white papers and peer-reviewed publications, market analyses, and funding pathway reports. These outputs not only inform the broader community but also catalyze external engagement and investment. By increasing market visibility and clarifying translational opportunities, such dissemination strengthens the economic and societal impact of space biology applications.

3. Goals

1 white paper / 10 social media posts about results
150 community members on Discord
1.000 linkedin followers
100 X followers
Business Plan for Future Funding

We plan to accomplish these goals by February 15th 2026

Target group for community: Early-career researchers, bioengineers, space biology enthusiasts, startups, investors, and space industry representatives.

Community growth strategy: Community engagement via online platforms (Discord, website, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Bluesky), outreach to biohackerspaces, universities, and companies. We already have 36 members.

Knowledge Platform: Expanse Bio will build a knowledge sharing platform, which will include publications on space biotech use cases, web-based educational resources, and AI assistant empowered databases. The AI tool will leverage online and non-published expert knowledge voluntarily shared with Expanse Bio. This will begin in Phase 1.

We have already begun website development at www.expansebio.xyz

Planned Analyses

We plan to publish a white paper introducing the space biotechnology field, ecosystem, and future prospects for peer-review on ResearchHub Journal. The white paper will serve as a scientific and market guidebook for evaluating future projects to fund.

White paper:

Introduction to space biotechnology
Use cases of space bio (8 topics)
1. Fundamental reasons for each use case
  1. microgravity benefits: no convection and sedimentation, scaffold-free growth
  2. Protein crystallization for structural biology
  3. Antibody crystallization for drug development
  4. Organoid growth for disease modeling
  5. Organs-on-chips disease and drug models
  6. Life cycle support systems
  7. Biomanufacturing in-space
  8. Astronaut health
  9. Terraforming & biomining
2. Real world examples/notable projects
  1. Keytruda, Ritonavir, lysozyme, and others
Ecosystem mapping
1. pharma, biotech, space vehicles, space start-ups, agencies
  1. Merck, J&J, others
  2. ESA, NASA, redwire, Axiom, Vast, Intuitive Machines, etc
Market size research
Future perspective on space biotech

The organization has already begun the literature review and data gathering for the white paper.

Ethics and Data Management

No sensitive personal or biological data will be collected in Phases 1–2. Community participation will be voluntary with transparent terms of use. The white paper will be open-access via the Expanse Bio site.

4. Budget

We have designed a lean budget and streamlined workflow to execute our Phase 1.

Additional funding may be requested.

Category	Item	Cost
Operations	Website/hosting tools	$100
	Design/branding	$200
	Community platform setup (Discord, bots, moderation)	$100
Research	Research for white paper	$2000
Research	Research for business plan & future funding	$1000
Outreach	Webinar for white paper	$200
Outreach	Social media promotion	$100
Administrative	Task tracking & retroactive rewards policy	$100
	Project management & dashboards	$100
	Phase II plan	$100
Total		$4000

5. References

1. Patel M, Naphade A, Mehta PJ. Space pharmaceutical manufacturing: emergence of a new era for pharmaceutical industry. Drug Development Research 86 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/ddr.70145

2. Guo D, Yao B, Shao WW, Zuo JC, Chang ZH, Shi JX, et al. The critical role of YAP/BMP/ID1 axis on simulated microgravity-induced neural tube defects in human brain organoids. Adv Sci 12 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202410188

3. Ray AS, Parvez FMR, Islam MM. A scoping review on microgravity medicine: challenges and breakthroughs in space healthcare. Space Habitation 1 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spaceh.2025.100017

4. Hoying M, Benjelloun I. Measuring the microgravity response in epithelial tissue barrier function: a path to flight. AIAA AVIATION FORUM AND ASCEND 2025 (2025). https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2025-4055

5. Reichert, P., Prosise, W., Fischmann, T.O. et al. Pembrolizumab microgravity crystallization experimentation. npj Microgravity 5, 28 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-019-0090-3

6. Crystallizing proteins in space helping to identify potential treatments for diseases. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/crystallizing-proteins-in-space-helping-to-identify-potential-treatments-for-diseases/ (2023)

7. Bell A, Yeh D, Garretson P, Roberson L. Biomanufacturing for a lunar base—a sustainable vision for the future. Preprint at https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5279294 (2025)

Team

The team is growing.

Dorian Leger, has biology and economics background, and experience in business and technical roles at ESA, ispace, Max Planck Institute, Fraunhofer, and Tesla. He has led two high-impact studies published in PNAS (1) modeling microbial proteins and (2) lunar O2 production, and co-authored a Nature Biotechnology study. He is the CEO of biotech consultancy, Cx Bio, since 2023.

Ecem Badruk, has a background in Bioengineering and Metallurgy & Materials Engineering, with experience in business development and strategic partnerships across space biotech and pharmaceutical sectors. She has worked on 3D bioprinted scaffolds at NJIT, contributed to organoid-in-space projects with a Swiss space biotech company, and collaborated on early-stage diagnostic platforms. Since 2023, she has been working independently as a consultant, supporting R&D commercialization and cross-industry collaborations.

Zenos Thoreson, has a biotechnology and marketing background. He previously contributed to ValleyDAO’s communications team and was a co-project head for the 2024 iGEM Community Synbio in Space project.

Expanse Bio: Accelerating Space Biotech with Hub for Research and Funding

Expanse Bio: Accelerating Space Biotech with Hub for Research and Funding

Funding Progress

Related Funding

Request for Proposals - AI Tools & AI Agents for Biomedical Research

Nonprofit Recipient

Topics

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