From the South Pacific Ocean to the International Space Station,
the story of Changene, a “Pearl” of a Company

“I went to Tahiti for adventure,” reminisces Frank Chang, CEO of Changene, Inc., a NASA Research Park partner since 2003.

“I chose a remote atoll and landed on an 800-yard runway, at an airport with a bungalow terminal. On this tiny atoll in the middle of nowhere in the South Pacific Ocean, I saw, for the first time, a pearl farm and the Milky Way galaxy with my naked eyes. 

“Trained in biomedicine, I realized the oyster must have molecule(s) able to regulate calcium crystals, like bricks, the way we build a wall. This mechanism is similar to bone formation, so I wondered – could this molecular process act as a possible countermeasure for bone mass loss in microgravity?”

Bone mass loss is a major challenge for NASA’s planned lunar and Mars exploration. Long duration flights on the Russian MIR and the ISS have produced much data about the impact of prolonged exposure to microgravity, but no solution exists.  NASA is still seeking effective countermeasures for bone mass loss.

Changene, in 2002, filed a patent for a proprietary molecule supposedly responsible for pearl formation -- in short a pearl gene. 

Changene collaborated with NASA Advanced Supercomputing division on molecular dynamic simulation for in silico studies of the nacre molecules. “Biotech research takes many years,” Chang said, “it is a great advantage using supercomputers to speed up the processes; gratefully, Ames Research Center has the best supercomputer among NASA centers.”

“With R&D moving forward, we have scheduled a clinical trial on this Pincta™ product in FY07”, Chang said, “It could be of great benefit to astronauts in microgravity, and to 50% of the world’s senior lady population with osteoporosis.”

Contact: Frank Chang, (650) 641-3181 or ftchang@changene.com

Changene is located in Bldg. 566, Room 106B, NASA Research Park

- Diane Farrar and Bob Lopez


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