Developing cancer treatment applications for space: Production and purification of
a monoclonal antibody
January 22, 2025
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From left, Amanda Malefyt, Ph.D., professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical
and Bioprocess Engineering, is researching cancer-targeting monoclonal antibodies,
assisted by students Haylee Smith, Sudeep Iyer and Marshall Beebe. The research is
funded by a grant from the Indiana Space Grant Consortium.
Amanda Malefyt, Ph.D., professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical and Bioprocess
Engineering, secured $5,142 from the Indiana Space Grant Consortium to continue her
research into cancer-targeting monoclonal antibodies.
Dr. Malefyt, a two-time INSGC grant recipient, continues to advance Trine University’s
bioprocessing research capabilities by focusing on the production of cancer-targeting
monoclonal antibodies.
With NASA’s priority on reducing cancer risks for astronauts, the team will optimize
techniques for antibody production, testing and purification to enable future applications
in microgravity.
“Receiving funding from INSGC allows us to provide increased state-of-the-art experiences
for students, using current industry techniques, materials and equipment that would
otherwise be outside the scope of a typical undergraduate lab budget,” commented Malefyt.
The project is broken into three main areas of focus. Junior chemical engineering
(CHE) major Haylee Smith is optimizing the antibody protein production within CHO-K1
cells (Chinese hamster ovary cells modified to grow in serum-free media) and scaling
up production to increase antibody yield.
“The opportunity to participate in this project gave me the ability to take my initial
understanding of biological processes and learn even more,” said Smith. “I am excited
about this project because of its potential impact on human life. To be able to see
the work that I have accomplished and present this research with data is very rewarding.”
First-year CHE student Sudeep Iyer is completing the separation and purification process
for the antibody. Senior CHE student Marshall Beebe is analyzing the binding of the
purified antibodies on colorectal cancer cells, gathering data on antibody effectiveness.
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