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Sachi Bio Awarded NASA InSPA Phase 2 Contract: Scaling the Nanoligomer™ Platform for Neurological and Systemic Diseases

  • Apr 6
  • 4 min read



ERIE, CO – Building on its pioneering leadership in space biology, Sachi Bio today announced the award of a prestigious NASA InSPA (In Space Production Applications) Phase 2 contract. This milestone follows the successful completion of the InSPA Phase 1 contract, further accelerating the development of Sachi Bio’s proprietary Nanoligomer™ platform—a programmable RNA therapeutic discovery engine designed to tackle the world's most devastating conditions, from ALS and Alzheimer’s to oncological, metabolic, and autoimmune diseases.

Accelerating Drug Discovery in Microgravity via SpaceX Missions: Sachi Bio has established itself as a leader in utilizing the unique environment of lower Earth orbit (LEO) to revolutionize therapeutic development. The microgravity environment of space accelerates the aging process and induces rapid disease pathology, creating an unprecedented rapid-testing environment for complex conditions.

This new NASA InSPA Phase 2 contract builds upon the company’s recent highly successful 43-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which launched via the SpaceX CRS-29 mission. During that 43-day mission, Sachi Bio's findings published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, demonstrated that its lead Nanoligomers NI112 and NI113 safely and significantly reduced markers of neurodegenerative diseases in 3D human brain organoids without causing toxicity to the tissue.


Building on this momentum, Sachi Bio is significantly scaling its orbital research footprint. Aboard the SpaceX CRS-31 mission, the company launched nearly 600 patient-derived 3D brain organoids to the International Space Station (ISS) to test its proprietary Nanoligomer™ treatments against ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and—in a scientific first—Glioblastoma (GBM). Now, under a new NASA InSPA Phase 2 contract, Sachi Bio is leveraging the unique environment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to accelerate its therapeutic pipeline. This expansion moves beyond neurodegeneration to tackle critical challenges in oncology, metabolism, cardiology, and autoimmunity.


The Orbital Accelerator: Decoding Disease in Microgravity

Sachi Bio has transformed the International Space Station into a high-velocity laboratory, where the hyper-accelerated biological aging and disease pathology of microgravity create a compressed developmental window. This environment allows Sachi Bio to validate therapeutics with a speed and clarity unattainable on Earth—an advantage driven entirely by the high-precision, gene-targeting capabilities of its Nanoligomer™ platform.


Building on the success of the SpaceX CRS-29 and CRS-31 missions—which proved that Nanoligomers effectively arrest and reduce neurodegenerative markers in 3D human brain organoids—Sachi Bio is now significantly scaling its operations. The company recently deployed nearly 600 patient-derived organoids to the ISS via CRS-31, leveraging the unique power of Nanoligomers to refine a multi-lead pipeline designed for both terrestrial health and orbital survival.



Executive Vision: From Lab to Life Extension

"This NASA Phase 2 contract is a testament to the precision of our Nanoligomer technology," said Anushree Chatterjee, CEO of Sachi Bio. "We are incredibly grateful for the NASA InSPA program’s support, which serves as a powerful catalyst for our orbital research. We have proven that we can precisely regulate gene expression to combat neuroinflammation in the most extreme environments, directly supporting NASA’s mission to protect human health during deep-space exploration. By utilizing microgravity to accelerate research, we are not just discovering drugs—we are creating a new standard of hope for patients globally who are fighting metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases."
Prashant Nagpal, COO of Sachi Bio, highlighted the strategic evolution of the company’s discovery engine: "Our mission is to build the ultimate biological shield. Through our platform, we are identifying key molecular targets that are common to both rapid space-induced decline and chronic terrestrial aging. By solving for the most complex stressors in the universe, we are perfecting a pipeline of 'programmable' medicines that can be deployed for a variety of critical health crises, ensuring human longevity wherever we reside."

A Robust Multi-Lead Pipeline

Building on the success and momentum of its lead candidate, NI112, Sachi Bio aims to advance multiple therapeutic leads towards the clinic. NI112, a brain-penetrant RNA therapeutic targeting the NF-κB inflammatory pathway, is advancing towards clinical studies for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients.


However, NI112 is just the beginning. The high-throughput capability of Sachi Bio's Nanoligomer platform allows for the rapid identification and validation of multiple distinct therapeutics in a fraction of the traditional discovery timeline. For instance, NI113 (targeting IL-6) has also demonstrated significant efficacy in mitigating space-induced disease pathology in brain organoids. Additionally, Sachi Bio is advancing a robust clinical pipeline of multiple therapeutic leads designed to modulate key inflammatory and protective pathways. By neutralizing systemic triggers of disease, this diverse approach addresses critical challenges including severe neuroinflammation, cognitive decline, and  chronic autoimmune conditions.


Protecting Astronauts and Extending Human Longevity on Earth

As the Artemis II mission pushes the boundaries of human presence in deep space, Sachi Bio is actively developing vital biological countermeasures to shield astronauts from the harsh effects of galactic cosmic rays and radiation-induced cognitive decline. By targeting the fundamental inflammatory and inflammasome pathways common to both deep-space exposure and terrestrial aging, the agile Nanoligomer™ platform is proving uniquely capable of extending the healthy human lifespan. This real-time progress is anchored by a long-term, productive collaboration with NASA , ensuring that the innovations protecting our pioneers today also transform the future of medicine on Earth.


"Our long-standing relationship with NASA HRP and the InSPA programs has been a powerful catalyst for our orbital research," said Anushree Chatterjee, CEO of Sachi Bio. "This Phase 2 contract allows us to leverage the unique environment of microgravity to accelerate breakthroughs across a multitude of severe conditions. We have already demonstrated that Nanoligomers can precisely regulate gene expression to combat neuroinflammation in extreme environments; we are now eager to expand this platform to address metabolic, autoimmune, and oncological diseases, redefining the possibilities of recovery for patients worldwide."


About Sachi Bio

 Sachi Bio is a leading biotechnology company pioneering RNA-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and aging-related disorders. By integrating cutting-edge molecular biology, bioinformatics, and space-based research, Sachi Bio utilizes its proprietary Nanoligomer platform to reshape the future of drug discovery and develop life-changing molecular innovations.


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Press Inquiries: media@sachibio.com

 
 
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