This summer, APC's spray dried plasma and red cells will be taking a NASA rocket ride in hopes of advancing research to treat traumatic injury in space.

New England Sci-Tech students participate in the Cubes in Space program run by iEDU inc. where they create and present experiments that, if selected, launch into near-space on a NASA sounding rocket or zero pressure scientific balloon. This year, the students taking part in Cubes in Space proposed an experiment to test the viability of launching spray-dried blood into space for rehydration in a zero-gravity environment to treat traumatic injury in space.

The group plans to conduct lab testing pre-launch and post-launch to measure the impact of G-forces, gravity, vibration and temperature on the plasma and red cell samples. Since porcine blood most closely matches human blood in shape, size, lifespan, and hemoglobin content, the team felt APC’s spray dried plasma and red cells would be the next best thing for gathering useful data.

APC is thrilled to hear the proposed experiment has been approved. "APC has participated in and led many scientific research studies over our 40+ years in business, but this one is a first for our R&D team. We are thrilled to be a very small part of these creative and smart young scientists' experiment by providing the spray dried animal plasma and red cells. Our entire team is greatly impressed with the minds of these students and look forward to seeing future developments in our industry," says Yanbin Shen, APC global director of technical services and North America research and development.

Once the experiment is complete, the post-launch testing will be completed and the New England Sci-Tech students will present their results at Rocketfest 2023.