Professor Abdul Basit and FABRX welcomed back Dr Neal Zapp, following his and Dr J.D. Polk’s (NASA’s Chief Health and Medical Officer) first visit to the UCL School of Pharmacy in July 2024, to continue discussions around on-flight production of medications on space missions.
Traditional pharmaceutical supply poses great challenges for long-duration flights and space missions due to limited storage conditions and long-term stability of the drug products. Professor Basit’s research group was and continues to be at the forefront of pharmaceutical 3D printing and has invaluable insights into the various elements of 3D printing medicines on-demand. The collaboration with NASA will explore the opportunities of printing medical therapies in microgravity to help advance space exploration.
In addition, the Basit Research Group also had the chance to speak with Dr Zapp to learn about his role at NASA and their ongoing explorations. The questions from curious PhD students ranged from technical challenges of printing in space to future travels and life on the Moon and Mars.