Today we’d like to introduce you to Harley Jackson.
Hi Harley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The founders of Offworld Biotech are a collection of 7 individuals with the unique overlap of expertise in space and biotech. We formed Offworld Biotech to build the biological infrastructure for the New Space Economy. Each of us wants to see human civilization become multi-planetary, and we believe that microbes and plants that thrive in off-world environments are crucial to maintaining the closed-loop systems necessary to support long-term space missions and off-world settlements. Since forming in May 2022, we have already run several pilot studies on candidate bacterial strains in Dr. James Secrest’s lab at Western Michigan University School of Medicine; formed partnerships with leaders in space and biotech research – such as BioGravity LLC, Explor Space Technologies, University of Technology Sydney, Rosewill Conservation Inc, and North Carolina State University’s BTEC, and Odyssey SpaceWorks, with more partnerships in the process of being established. In addition to the pilot studies we’ve run and presented at Mars Society Convention and ASGSR2022, we have scheduled a cubesat experiment in early 2023 to validate the results we obtained in simulated microgravity.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No, there have many many challenges. For one, we’ve had to pivot a few times regarding our strategy. Due to the contracting economy, it’s become more difficult to obtain funding for long-term projects like the core mission of Offworld Biotech. Due to the constraints on funding availability, we decided to come up with near-term revenue streams that still align with our mission and vision. Presently, the main service we are providing is end-to-end microgravity research services, which include microgravity study design, lab prototyping and de-risking with simulated microgravity, automated cubesat experimentation, and payload brokerage to the ISS and future commercial space stations. We also have a partner that will soon have the capability to send experiments around the moon via cubesat. So, in addition to using our microgravity research pipeline to generate novel organisms, we can lever our relationships and expertise to help other researchers get their microgravity projects done.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Offworld Biotech is building the biological infrastructure for the New Space Economy. Since microbes will be needed for sustained human presence off-world, we focus on engineering useful microbes that thrive despite environmental variables that are more difficult to control – especially gravity. Our team understands the unique challenges faced in microgravity, payload launch, and payload return, as well as how to use an iterative process to evolve and mutate microbes to thrive under selected stresses while still carrying out crucial functions – especially the stress of non-Earth gravitational loads. What sets us apart from others is that we already have the specialized equipment and experience simulating microgravity, as well as evolving microbes, such that we were able to hit the ground running in this new cutting-edge space. So we are ahead of competitors, including well-funded ones. Offworld Biotech is proud that our mission solves problems for humans, whether on Earth now or anywhere in the future. We are helping human civilization become multi-planetary by solving problems for people on Earth. If you have any interest in doing research that involves microgravity – whether simulated microgravity or actually sending a payload into space – Offworld Biotech can help. We offer full-service consultation with our network of partners, and we also offer equipment for simulating microgravity at your own lab. The full price for an Explor X Biogravity Platform is $25,000. Universities and non-profits get a $10,000 discount. There are also lease options, and some special arrangements can be made with universities to trade usage for IP. More details about the RPM available at https://biogravityllc.com/
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Currently, we are seeking to grow our network, including partners in biotech and space, clients who want microgravity research done, clients who want microbes that manufacture goods in space, and investors who want to help build the biological infrastructure of the New Space Economy and have value they can add to catalyze Offworld Biotech’s progress. Please follow our social media, and please feel free to contact us at info@offworldbiotech.com. Additionally, we are looking for guests who would like to discuss various topics with us via livestream, which we would then upload to our YouTube channel.
Pricing:
- Explor X Biogravity Platform – $25,000
- Explor X Biogravity Platform (non-profit/education discount) – $15,000
- Microgravity Research Services – starting at $15,000
- Microgravity Research Initial Consultation – Free
Contact Info:
- Website: https://offworldbiotech.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/OffworldBiotech
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4Eoys0q1q8PmbpdFC37uA
Image Credits
James Secrest
Margarita Belali
Harley Jackson
Ian McCann
Terry Trevino
Ben Lyons
Andrew Lord
