WCSAR has worked primarily with companies in biotechnology and bioengineering industries, with emphasis on products derived from plant materials. Inquiries from other industries are welcome.

		Space Flight Technologies & Flight Units Through the patented and proven Astroculture and Advanced Astroculture, WCSAR has a reputation as a leading developer of technologies for space-based plant biotech research. These plant biotech payloads have been used for commercial experiments on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS). The Commercial Plant Biotechnology Facility will be the largest environmentally controlled plant growth unit on the ISS.
		Transgenic Plant Products Companies interested in plant transformation partner with WCSAR to take advantage of the unique properties of microgravity, which have shown to stimulate the rate of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation over 10-fold in soybeans. This method could be useful in obtaining transgenic plants from recalcitrant crops. The methodology was tested during STS-95 and significantly improved on STS-101.
		Secondary Plant Metabolites With the advent of genetic engineering, plants are being used for a variety of applications, ranging from environmental decontamination, through the synthesis of antibiotics and edible vaccines, to the production of biodegradable plastic. An experiment conducted in collaboration with International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. on STS-95 demonstrated that the microgravity environment induces the biosynthesis of an array of different compounds in a rose plant, including desirable fragrances. Consequently, WCSAR and its industrial partners are working together in preparation of experiments to develop novel, commercially valuable plant secondary and bioactive compounds.
		Terrestrial Growth Chambers WCSAR has worked with companies in support of the development of a terrestrial plant biomass manufacturing facility for a variety applications. In collaboration with American Ag-Tec International, WCSAR has developed a fully automated, environmentally controlled Quantum TuberTM facility for mass production of foundation stock seed potatoes.

Organizations interested in discussing commercial opportunities utilizing controlled environment plant growth technologies are encouraged to contact WCSAR.