PHARMASAT: DRUG DOSE DEPENDENCE RESULTS FROM AN AUTONOMOUS MICROSYSTEM-BASED SMALL SATELLITE IN LOW EARTH ORBIT

Abstract

We designed, built, tested, space-qualified, launched, and downlinked bioanalytical data from PharmaSat, the first fully autonomous outer-space pharmaceutical dose-response bioanalytical system on a free-flying satellite. PharmaSat tracks microorganism culture population density and metabolic activity in 48 microwells via 3-color optical absorbance. Its 5.1-kg total mass includes solar cells, integrated spacecraft "bus" module (power/batteries/ control/communications), and a sealed containment vessel housing the biofluidic, optical, thermal, and sensor subsystems. Data were obtained from all subsystems over several days following nutrient introduction to initiate growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, followed by challenges with three dose levels of an antifungal agent.