Space and defence tech company Redwire Corporation (NYSE:RDW) announced on Wednesday that NASA has granted an additional USD4m to support drug development studies aboard the International Space Station using Redwire's Pharmaceutical In-space Laboratory (PIL-BOX) technology.

This expands an existing task order under a USD25m, five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract through NASA's In Space Production Applications (InSPA) programme.

PIL-BOX, with 43 units flown, has enabled the growth of high-quality crystals that could transform drug development. Redwire recently collaborated with Aspera Biomedicines on a cancer therapy investigation for Rebecsinib, an ADAR1 inhibitor, launched on the SpaceX Crew-12 mission.

Redwire also supports partners including Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, ExesaLibero Pharma, Purdue University, and Butler University. These collaborations aim to leverage microgravity to advance biotechnology and develop new drug formulations for challenging diseases.