Eascra Biotech Awarded $7.96 Million NASA InSPA Phase 2 Contract to Advance Space-Manufactured Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine startup selected for commercialization initiative aligned with NASA’s orbital economy priorities

BOSTON, Aug. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eascra Biotech, a nanomedicine startup with a lab in Worcester, Massachusetts, has been awarded a NASA In Space Production Applications (InSPA) Phase 2 contract, valued at $7.96 million. The award supports Eascra's work to commercialize low Earth orbit manufacturing of its proprietary Janus Base Nanoparticles (JBNps), a next-generation delivery platform for RNA therapeutics, gene editing, and other hard-to-deliver treatments.

The InSPA program is designed to catalyze commercial use of the space environment to produce novel materials and products for use on Earth. Eascra’s selection reflects NASA’s stated priority to ignite the orbital economy and advance low Earth orbit commercialization.

“This Phase 2 award is a significant milestone for Eascra and for the field of space-enabled medicine,” said Mari Anne Snow, Eascra co-founder and CEO. “It recognizes both our technology and our manufacturing approach. Microgravity allows for more rigorous upfront testing during early-stage development, something that can streamline the path to approvals here on Earth. We’re working toward bringing our JBNp platform into FDA clinical trials by 2028, taking us one step closer to making space-manufactured therapeutics a clinical reality.”

Eascra has completed six missions to the International Space Station in under three years. The company anticipates completing six additional missions over the next two years as it scales toward commercial-stage manufacturing. Eascra's JBNp platform, invented by co-founder Dr. Yupeng Chen, an associate professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut, delivers RNA therapeutics to hard-to-penetrate tissues like articular cartilage, kidneys, and solid tumors. JBNps are room-temperature stable, eliminating the need for cold chain requirements.

Osteoarthritis, one of the conditions Eascra's cartilage-targeted therapeutics aim to address, affects one in four Americans and has no known cure. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies in the Lancet Rheumatology, 595 million people had osteoarthritis in 2020, representing 7.6 percent of the world's population. This number rose to roughly 607 million in 2021, or 7.7 percent of the global population. The condition represents a $65 billion market growing at 8.7 percent annually. Demand for effective treatment is only increasing.

The InSPA Phase 2 contract builds on a series of recent milestones for Eascra, including:

• First place at the TechConnect Bio in Space Innovation Challenge in March 2026
• Inclusion in Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech list for 2025.
• More than $8 million in previous grants, awards, and commercial-sponsored research from organizations including top 10 pharma partners, NASA, NSF, AFWERX, and MassVentures.
  
  

About Eascra Biotech
Eascra Biotech (eascrabiotech.com) is an early-stage nanomedicine startup providing an advanced therapeutic delivery platform capable of delivering RNA, gene editing, and other therapeutics to hard-to-reach treatment sites, such as articular cartilage, kidneys, and solid tumors. Its mission is to advance this technology for the benefit of patients worldwide. Eascra’s proprietary delivery mechanism, a Janus Base Nanoparticle (JBNp) invented by Eascra co-founder Dr. Yupeng Chen, was inspired by DNA and is customizable for different treatment indications. Eascra is working with NASA, the ISS National Laboratory™, and a variety of private space companies to accelerate its go-to-market strategy. The company is actively seeking commercial partnerships with life science companies in need of targeted therapeutic delivery to expedite the development of cutting-edge treatments that enhance patient outcomes.

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