Astrogenetix Advances MRSA Research on Hubble Flight

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Astrogenetix, Inc., a subsidiary of the Astrotech Corporation (Nasdaq:ASTC), today announced preliminary findings from its microgravity-based virulence survey aboard Shuttle Discovery (STS-119) launched on March 15, 2009. These results showed that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other microbes exhibit altered phenotypical responses during spaceflight. The research demonstrated that the unique environment of microgravity impacted the growth of MRSA bacteria, which will aid researchers in the discovery of potential targets for a vaccine or therapeutic agent to fight infections caused by these microbes.