January 3, 2018

CASIS Boeing Award recipient Lambda Vision Partners with Space Tango to help ‘Cure Blindness’

Granted the CASIS-Boeing award in November 2016, Lambdavision’s protein-based implants strive to ‘cure blindness.’ with Space Tango as their payload development partner, the Connecticut-based company Lambdavision will test the manufacturing capabilities of retinal implants in microgravity.

LambdaVision relies on maintaining control of several factors during the manufacturing process, including a protein-based solution. Working autonomously in a TangoLab facility aboard the International Space Station provides a controlled environment. In doing so, gravity is eliminated from the development of the retinal films.

“On the space station we’re moving gravity out of the equation, so we’re reducing sedimentation and aggregation of the proteins that are used in the solutions … leading to more stable films with better performance,” said Chief Scientific Officer Jordan Greco in an interview with the Connecticut Magazine.

Their experiment is currently scheduled to fly May 2018 at which time it will spend approximately three months in a TangoLab facility running autonomously. LambdaVision’s retinal implant technology illustrates the diverse use of the Space Tango product line to conduct research in microgravity for exomedicine and on-Earth application.

For more news on LambdaVision, see the articles below:
Connecticut Magazine – Farmington Company’s Quest to Cure Blindness Set to Launch Into Orbit

Hartford Courant – At UConn, A Cure For Blindness In Sight

Featured Photo Courtesy: Peter Morenus | University of Connecticut