BioOrbit: creating medicine that’s out of this world

This article originally appeared in the June'24 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES's Magazine Archives for more featured publications.

Led by Founder, CEO, and women in STEM advocate, Dr Katie King, BioOrbit is a pioneering enterprise that clusters together the medical, aerospace, and biotechnology sectors in a vision of transforming how we treat some to the most challenging diseases, such as cancer, giving people back time and freedom. 

In the beginning: the genesis of BioOrbit

With a background rooted in the sciences, and coming from an intelligent female lineage, with her mother, Carol Vorderman, being an embodiment of a visible STEM role model for generations of women and girls, Dr King’s childhood aspirations of space exploration and her academic pursuits in physics and chemistry were the prologue to her career trajectory. 

After completing her master’s in Physical Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, Dr King, who also has a PhD in Nanomedicine, interned at NASA. It was this experience that allowed her a glimpse into the collaborative power of large teams working towards lofty goals, such as Mars rover missions, and solidified her belief in achieving the "impossible" with the right team. 

However, despite her growing interest, expertise, and the space industry being on the cusp of a boon, Dr King recounts the barriers to entry – most notable the absence of opportunities for scientists in orbit. This challenge crystallised her resolve to explore her own path, and with that, she created BioOrbit. 

"I met my team during the summer programme at the International Space University in 2022. It was there that the idea of building a pharmaceuticals factory in space began to take shape. It has so much potential to completely change healthcare, specifically cancer treatment." 

BioOrbit's mission

At the core of BioOrbit's mission is its focus on leveraging microgravity to produce protein crystal drugs. These crystals allow for a new form of drug delivery that could enable patients to administer their own cancer treatments at home, which is an advantageous deviation from traditional, and often cumbersome, intravenous methods. 

"In microgravity, we can achieve a perfect crystalline structure of antibodies, which isn't possible on Earth due to gravitational interference. We can form drugs that patients can take at home without going to the hospital." 

In order to establish a facility in space, Dr King and her team’s approach involves intricate collaboration with various space and technology partners to enable the facilitation of transportation and the operation of their pharmaceutical factory. Dr King is particularly excited about the potential of partnerships with companies like SpaceX to enhance the scalability of their operations. 

Empowering women in STEM

Empowering and encouraging more females to join the STEM industry is an area that Dr King is particularly passionate about. 

Being a female leader in a sector where, for the last 30 years, women have represented only 20% of the workforce, according to the UN’s Space4Women, Dr King is acutely aware of the influence her position holds. 

However, winning the everywoman ‘Innovator of the Year’ award is something that has elevated both Dr King and BioOrbit's profile, and is another platform from which she is able to share her mission, passion, and offer representation for women everywhere. 

"I was touched and honoured to win. It has amplified our mission to empower women and girls in STEM. I try and do as much as I can to promote women in STEM and get younger girls interested in technology … I’ve had a number of women contact me saying they want to work for me, and these are very ambitious, smart, incredible, young women. It's just proven to me even more the power of having visible role models – I'm witnessing it. I'm experiencing it." 

Through her personal experiences and seeing the visible impact of her role in encouraging women into STEM, Dr King understands the vitality of representation and active advocacy for women and offers aspiring women some advice. 

"Don’t be scared. You will never be prepared. You have to take risks. It will be harder than you expect, and that’s ok – as long as you go for it. Just recognise the reasons you’re going into it first. Be aware of your motives." 

Gazing into the future

BioOrbit plans to solidify its technological proof-of-concept aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with the ultimate goal of establishing a permanent, automated pharmaceutical production facility in space. 

The ultimate goal for BioOrbit is to ensure that the treatments they are harnessing are accessible to everyone, reflecting their commitment to global health equity.