Austin Company Conducting Vaccine Research on Space Shuttle

When the Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off for its 13-day mission this week, the crew will be carrying samples from an Austin biotech company.

Astrogenetix has been working with NASA for more than a year, doing vaccine research in hopes of developing new medicines. The microgravity of space allows biological systems to interact more quickly than they do on Earth.

On this week's mission, the company will be doing research Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella microbes, which cause hundreds of thousands of infections each year. When the samples return from space, they'll be examined and added to Astrogenetix's research database. Scientists can then begin analyzing the results in search of potential vaccines.

Research in microgravity also played a role in Richard Garriott's recent trip to space, where the gaming guru participated in experiments in protein crystal growth, with hopes of determine the roles that specific proteins play in the human body.

Inside the shuttle’s cargo bay for this mission is the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), a pressurized "moving van" that will be temporarily installed to the station. That module includes the COLBERT treadmill, named after comedian Stephen Colbert.