Raydiance will partner with Nasa to develop advanced microfluidics devices for space-based biological experiments.

The Nasa Ames Research Center will employ Raydiance’s Smart Light ultra-fast laser platform to fabricate next-generation microfluidics devices and components.

The devices will be used on free-flying nanosatellites, the International Space Station and future lunar and planetary research laboratories.

The results from this research will also expand the understanding of the effects of the space environment on biological systems along with advancing capabilities for molecular and cellular diagnostics, enabling rapid drug discovery and screening.

Raydiance chairman and CEO Barry Schuler said the technology would enable Nasa to rapidly fabricate complex and integrated components on a single microfluidics card.

Nasa Ames small satellite division chief technologist Antonio J Ricco said the devices would be more reliable, would let them add new functionality and be more bio-compatible than some other approaches examined.

“We should be able to quickly execute design changes as needed to accommodate a wide range of biological and chemical space studies with this new platform,” he said.