daniel buenoAn antiviral platform developed by Israeli scientists, which leads viruses to commit “suicide,” will be tested during the next NASA space mission. The innovation, developed by the company Vecoy Nanomedicine, was one of eight selected from 1,200 applicants from around the world to be taken into space. The competition was organized by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (Casis), the research arm of the International Space Station (ISS). The difference between Vecoy’s antiviral “trap” and traditional vaccines is that it will lead the virus to self-destruct before it reaches healthy cells. The Israeli researchers believe that the platform could be used to combat epidemic threats like Ebola, hepatitis and even HIV in the future. The experiments in a zero gravity environment will help Israeli scientists refine the design of the platform at the nanometric scale. Currently, Vecoy is testing the anti-viral infection technology in shrimp and crabs. Another technology selected is a portable ultrasound device for measuring intracranial pressure in patients with cranioencephalic trauma. It was developed by Neural Analytics, in the United States. The experiment will compare measurements made on the brains of astronauts with data from trauma patients. The US company Quad wants to use the microgravity test to improve its technology for isolating specific types of cells in blood that are related to cancer cells.
