NASA is preparing to launch a medical breakthrough that could have dramatic implications for for terrestrial patients as well as astronauts. The NASA Biocapsule is made of carbon nanotubes, and implanted under the skin, will be able to deliver metered doses of medicine in response to various stimuli.

Radiation is a major concern for astronauts in space, and is a primary focus of initial Biocapsule functionality. Intense radiation bursts from the sun, called solar particle events, can damage bone marrow and destroy immune systems of organisms outside of Low Earth Orbit. The Biocapsule can be loaded with cells that sense radiation levels and dispense compensatory drugs into the body automatically. These are cells of G-CSF (Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) hormone, which are currently used to ameliorate the effects of radiation in cancer patients.

Other dangers can be addressed with the Biocapsules as well. Various units can be made which can sense and treat a variety of stress-factors caused by sleep-deprivation, heat and exhaustion, all serious risks for an astronaut. As these stress-factors are a problem for soldiers as well, military applications of the technology will be in the works at DARPA, the US defense research group.

Diabetes affects ~300 million people, and is another primary target of initial Biocapsule application. Filled with pancreatic islet cells or an engineered analogue, the capsule will be able to sense glucose and insulin secretion, and deliver the required dosage. This could mean that diabetes patients would no longer need to constantly monitor blood sugar levels or carry medicine wherever they go, and many deaths and comas during sleep would be eliminated.

Other treatments could include cancer, especially brain cancer, and gene therapy. For cancer patients, chemotherapy drugs would be delivered to the precise location needed, minimizing side effects in peripheral areas. One example of gene therapy applications is in the treatment of hemophilia, in which an essential blood coagulating protein is missing. Engineered cells in the Biocapsule can release this protein, sparing the patient from the need for repeated injections.

The Biocapsules have a number of other advantages. For one, they can continue to work and deliver treatment over a a number of years, and do not "go bad". The nanostructure is able to withstand the destructive efforts of all enzymes it has been tested with, and is rigid enough to bind cells in place while allowing medication to pass out of the porous walls. The biologically inert capsules are thought to pose no interference with normal body processes and can be removed by a doctor once used up or unneeded.

Created by Dr. David Loftus at NASA's Space Biosciences Division, the capsules are to be implanted subcutaneously by means of a small incision where only local anesthetic and a few stitches are needed. The capsules are easy to manufacture and quite inexpensive. Carbon nanotubes are sucked into a mold with vacuum pressure, filled with the required cells, and capped with a protein glue or more nanotubes. Animal trials are already in the works, with human trials expected to begin in several years. Dr Loftus thinks that the Biocapsules will be in use by astronauts within a decade, and within 10 to 15 years for the general public.

Biocapsule Vacuum Filtration.