Ready for Lift-Off: Team Prepares Genes in Space Samples for Launch
The next Genes in Space investigation is gearing up for its journey to orbit, and it takes a village to send an experiment to space!
Dr. Ally Huang prepares the samples for launch to the ISS.
Expected to launch to the International Space Station in October on the SpaceX CRS-35 resupply mission, this experiment was designed by Nitya Johar, the 2025 Genes in Space winner. Several scientists helped prepare Nitya’s idea for launch, including Dr. Evan Kalb, a postdoctoral fellow in the Adamala lab at the University of Minnesota, and Dr. Ally Huang from miniPCR bio. Ally worked with Dr. Cecilia Silva from New England Biolabs to prepare the experimental payload for its journey to space.
Dr. Ally Huang verifies the experimental protocol before launch.
Nitya’s experiment addresses a key biological challenge of spaceflight: efficient protein production. On Earth, proteins are biomanufactured for many applications, including medicines, industrial enzymes, and biofuels. Long-duration space missions will benefit from on-site protein production, and the resource-limited environment makes efficient protein production more important than ever.
Dr. Ally Huang, Nitya Johar, and Marissa Morales work through the experimental protocol at New England Biolabs in March.
Good luck to Nitya’s experiment🚀! We’ll follow its journey and keep you posted as we learn what her experiment reveals.
The samples are ready to head to Kennedy Space Center to be loaded onto the SpaceX CRS-35 resupply mission.
