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"We're going into space"

On October 20, 2023, the European Space Agency (ESA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Development and Technology (MRiT) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), completed the substantive assessment of the recruitment of experiments to be carried out on the International Space Station (ISS). A team of CMPW PAN employees, including Jakub Włodarczyk, Michał Sobota, Mateusz Stojko, Monika Musiał-Kulik and Katarzyna Jelonek, proposed an experiment that was qualified to take part in the Axiom 4 mission, planned for October 2024. The experiment "Biodegradable polymer drug delivery systems in low "Earh orbirt" (acronym LEO-DDS) will involve assessing the stability of polymer controlled drug release systems in the conditions prevailing on the ISS. It will be examined, among others: the impact of microgravity on the diffusion of selected active substances through the polymer carrier, the impact of increased radiation levels on the degradation of biodegradable polyesters and the effect of shielding drugs against cosmic radiation by the polymer matrix. The implementation time is estimated at 3 years. The obtained results, due to the current lack of research in this direction, will significantly contribute to the development of knowledge about both polymers and controlled drug release systems. The release of therapeutic substances from polymeric carriers may in the future become one of the main ways to support the physical and mental health of astronauts during missions.

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