On Oct 15, Melanie Saunders, Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Associate Director welcomed the executive board of GRoK Technologies for a facility tour. The capstone event included a ceremony where Saunders and GRoK CEO Moshe Kushman signed two exclusive patent licenses, marking a continuing relationship between NASA and the new bioscience technology company.

The agreements between NASA and GRoK are the latest examples of the many emerging commercial companies using NASA's technology transfer program to enhance the public sector's quality of life.

"Part of NASA's charter is to take the fruits of our technology and find a way to transfer the US taxpayers' investment for the benefit of humanity," noted Saunders.

The key manufacturing element for GRoK's research is the company's use of the patented NASA Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) bioreactor to enable production of proteins and biomolecules. The original bioreactor, designed by NASA JSC engineers and researchers, was used to investigate the effects of long-term microgravity on human tissues in simulated reduced gravity conditions.

Experiments using the bioreactor conducted by JSC inventor Dr. Thomas Goodwin and other scientists proved that the NASA bioreactor could successfully cultivate many different mammalian cells, including human cells using simulated microgravity, resulting in three-dimensional tissues that more closely resemble those in the body.

The bioreactor produces remarkable results that multiply the growth of tissue cells and the production of unique biomolecules. Scientists from Tulane University in collaboration with Dr. Goodwin developed methods for producing, identifying and extracting biomolecules from certain cells that are cultured in the bioreactor.

GRoK intends to use the patented technologies to produce functional proteins and biomolecules such as from neural progenitor cells, anti-viral cytokines, and anti-tumor biomolecules that can be used by researchers and physicians in treating disease.

"We're looking forward to bringing innovative and dynamic applications of our science to the American public, and we're grateful to the entire NASA team for their continuing support," expressed Kushman.

The GRoK team is currently scouting locations in the area surrounding JSC for a laboratory. They intend on opening their facility in League City during the first quarter of 2015. The proximity to JSC will allow for additional collaboration with critical researchers, and continue to utilize some of the talented workforce of the local area.

When describing the keys to success for her company, GRoK Chief Communications Officer A.J.S. Rayl, who founded the company with Kushman, said: "You have to have a passion for the technology, a sincere desire to understand the science and the new way of thinking behind it, and, importantly, the ability to envision the future with new paradigms and breakthrough products."