Overland Park biotech company’s bio-block ready for space mission [Video]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tucked away in an Overland Park office complex, a lab is bridging the gap between now and the future one cell at a time.

“We’re still pushing the boundary,” said Heather Decker, chief tech officer and co-founder of the company, Ronawk.

Ronawk will be sending its creation, bio-blocks, into space on a mission to the International Space Station.

The bio-blocks are a small, gelatinous puzzle piece-like structure on which micro activity could change science on a macro scale.

“What we have right here, these are our bio-blocks,” said Dr. AJ Mellott, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Ronawk.

Dr. Mellott held up a small, liquid-filled clear pouch with a bio-block inside.

“These are hydrogel scaffolds,” Dr. Mellott said. “So most people are familiar with hydrogels if they wear soft contact lenses. That’s the most popular hydrogel today. And basically, we use these to grow cells.”

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