Former Merck and NASA Leaders Bring Strategic Expertise to SpaceMD Amid Rising Demand for its In-Space Pharmaceutical Development Capabilities
Redwire Corporation (NYSE:RDW), a global leader in aerospace and defense technology solutions, announced today it has appointed pioneering industry leaders Paul Reichert, former Principal Investigator at Merck Research Laboratories, and Niki Werkheiser, former Director of Technology Maturation at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, to serve in strategic advisory roles at Space Microgravity Development LLC (SpaceMD), Redwire’s venture company focused on leveraging the microgravity environment to create new innovations in biotech and other fields. Specifically, Reichert and Werkheiser will expand SpaceMD’s leadership in space-enabled research and pharmaceutical innovation as it accelerates work with a growing number of pharmaceutical customers and partners.
As Scientific Advisor, Reichert will shape SpaceMD’s scientific and commercial roadmap by identifying promising drug candidates and supporting the development of an orbital research and manufacturing pipeline. In her role as SpaceMD’s Strategic Advisor, Werkheiser will work closely with the SpaceMD team and biotech partners to develop new therapeutic concepts and establish new opportunities to apply SpaceMD technologies to pharmaceutical research on the International Space Station (ISS) and emerging commercial platforms.
"SpaceMD’s mission is to unlock new pharmaceutical drugs through cutting-edge, space-based research. Bringing Paul and Niki onto our advisory team significantly advances that mission," said John Vellinger, CEO of SpaceMD. "Their unparallelled expertise in drug development and go-to-market strategy, biopharmaceutical research, and space technology will bolster the momentum already underway as SpaceMD continues to lead the industry in in‑space pharmaceutical research."
While at Merck, Reichert played a key role in advancing the company’s research pipeline. Notably, he contributed to the early formulation and crystallization research of pembrolizumab—the active ingredient in Keytruda, a breakthrough immunotherapy used to treat multiple cancers. Reichert’s work at Merck and Schering-Plough has helped shape the pharmaceutical industry's understanding of molecular behavior, formulation challenges, and drug development pathways.
Werkheiser advises across the commercial space ecosystem - drawing from three decades of experience successfully leading space programs and partnerships from concept to operations on space shuttles, the International Space Station (ISS), and the lunar surface. Most recently, she served as NASA's director of technology maturation, where she oversaw more than $1.5B in technology investments across industry and government. Previously, she established NASA’s In-Space Manufacturing Initiative as a foundational capability for long-duration missions.
SpaceMD leverages the unique microgravity environment in space using its innovative and flight-proven Pharmaceutical In-Space Laboratory (PIL-BOX) technology to grow seed crystals in space, for subsequent sale or licensing to companies that can use them to reformulate existing drugs or develop entirely new therapeutics. Since the first PIL-BOX launch in November 2023, 54 PIL-BOX systems have flown to the ISS, successfully crystallizing 45 unique compounds, including insulin and other critical molecules for treating diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes.
About SpaceMD
SpaceMD is a subsidiary of Redwire Corporation focused on leveraging the microgravity environment of space to create new advances in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and other fields. SpaceMD utilizes innovative, flight-proven Redwire hardware to conduct this potentially life-enhancing work. SpaceMD uses the unique nature of space to benefit life on Earth.
About Redwire
Redwire Corporation (NYSE:RDW) is an integrated space and defense tech company focused on advanced technologies. We are building the future of aerospace infrastructure, autonomous systems, and multi-domain operations leveraging digital engineering and AI automation. Redwire’s approximately 1,400 employees located throughout North America and Europe are committed to delivering innovative space and airborne platforms transforming the future of multi-domain operations. For more information, please visit RDW.com.
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