Many major biopharmaceutical companies are developing or acquiring drugs that target the NLRP3 inflammasome, a large intracellular complex that researchers say can spark inflammation and stoke diseases of lifestyle and aging.
As medical marijuana businesses set up shop across the U.S., a handful of companies are taking the pharmaceutical route, guiding cannabis-derived drugs through clinical trials.
There are benefits of studying certain biological processes under microgravity, but whether those advantages outweigh the costs of getting experiments off Earth remains to be seen.