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.

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.

Good luck to Nitya’s experiment🚀! We’ll follow its journey and keep you posted as we learn what her experiment reveals.