BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida vaccine developer is pairing up with the state to develop a new vaccine that can help astronauts with lengthy space missions – and help the elderly lead more productive lives.
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Brevard County-based Vaxxinity teamed up with the University of Central Florida to develop a vaccine that fights bone degeneration, one of the leading problems astronauts face while in zero gravity.
It also happens to be one of the leading problems facing ageing adults, leading to fears of falls that can hasten death.
“Vaxxinity is focused on helping humanity prepare for the next millennia, and that’s as a multiplanetary species,” Executive Chairman Lou Reese explained. “To get there, we need to solve the biggest medical issues that we’re facing down here on Earth today, because otherwise, we won’t have the resources to get there.”
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The vaccine will focus on proteins that are connected to bone growth in humans. Reese said work has been underway for the last several years, and if all goes well, the company will begin clinical trials in 2025.
He did not disclose the size of UCF’s grant, but said it would help power the ongoing research, which joins projects the company is exploring that fight Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and high cholesterol.
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“These are things that are destroying health span. And they’re robbing us of very productive healthy years,” Reese said. “The impact on healthy aging is one of the largest that I can find in terms of a goal [to help humanity.”
However, he says he knows most people – especially his kids – are more interested in the interstellar applications, and he was happy to play into his own dreams.
“I’m not going to make the rockets or the landing equipment, and I know that about myself,” he joked. “If we can do this one other part and help there, then it’s meaningful.”
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