W-7

Varda is sending a promising new type of cancer medicine known as a PROTAC into space to see whether microgravity can help overcome one of its biggest limitations: poor solubility.

PROTACs are designed to hijack the cell’s natural recycling machinery, tagging disease-causing proteins for destruction rather than simply blocking them. But these sophisticated molecules are often large and difficult to formulate into medicines the body can absorb effectively.

In microgravity, molecules can crystallize differently than they do on Earth, potentially producing crystal forms with improved properties, including better solubility. If successful, the experiment could help turn powerful protein-degrading molecules into more practical and effective cancer treatments.

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