Artificial retina to be tested aboard the ISS
The robotic system for developing the artificial retina that can heal blindness has begun aboard the ISS at the beginning of December.
Scientific research on the developing an innovative protein-based retinal implant that can restore high-resolution vision and improve the quality of life of patients with retinal degeneration on Earth has begun aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The implant technology uses a light-activated protein to stimulate the retina of patients with visual impairments due to age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
The new research is focusing on studying the role of gravity on protein distribution, its uniformity, stability and perfomance of the thin films.
The implants are created by utilising layer-by-layer assembly of protein-based artificial retinas in microgravity. It is hypothesised that microgravity should optimise the process of artificial retina established by limiting solution-based aggregation and sedimentation.
The protein used by scientists is derived from an organism called “salt-marsh archaea”. Favorable for the cultivation of protein, the atmosphere should be similar to the Dead Sea. To do this, scientists are buying 100-pound boxes of salt to create a super-salt medium for growing protein.
To produce an implant on Earth, scientists usually need about five days. The process involves a series of alternating protein immersions in the super-salt solution with gravity. After the process is completed, a membrane is obtained with a thickness of about 60 microns (micrometres).
Under microgravity conditions, scientists assume the production of a more uniform and stable film. If successful, specialists expect that it will be possible to create a similar implant with a smaller number of protein layers. This dramatically reduces the manufacturing time and will result in cost-savings on the materials.
One of the objectives of the experiment is to increase the service life of the implant.
“Our process is all about having a homogeneous protein solution. In microgravity, we’re able to produce a more homogeneous solution and have the proteins adhere in a better way, using less materials and producing a better, higher quality product,” said the president and CEO of LambdaVision Nicole Wagner in an interview with the ISS U.S. National Laboratory.
The scientific equipment is contained inside of a small form-factor payload CubeLab. The crew installs the CubeLab onto a payload card and then transfers it to TangoLab, where the process will be carried out automatically. When the study is completed, the crew will transmit the equipment to Earth to continue research in laboratory.
The LambdaVision Inc.’s experiment recently began as part of SpaceX’s 16th commercial services mission. It is supported by the Technology in Space prize — a prize sponsored by the National Laboratory of ISS and Boeing.
The experiment is expected to continue approximately six weeks in space, after which it will be delivered back to Earth by April 2019.
For details visit Asgardia.Space
