Biotia Partners with Leading Korean Pharmaceutical Company to Advance Infectious Disease Diagnostics in Remote Regions — Including in Space
Queens, NY – June 17, 2025 — Biotia, a biotechnology company pioneering the development of novel infectious disease diagnostics, today announced its selection as an awardee in the Humans in Space (HIS) Challenge, a global innovation program led bySouth Korea–based Boryung Corporation. Biotia was selected as the first ever recipient for Orbital Launch Funding (OLF), a core HIS program that provides funding, strategy sessions, and partner connections to aid startups in successfully carrying out experiments in space. In a three-way partnership with Boryung andDr. Charles Chiu at University of California, San Francisco, Biotia will advance the development of next-generation diagnostic technologies designed to meet the extreme demands of human spaceflight and remote healthcare environments on Earth.
“This project focuses on adapting a clinically validated metagenomic sequencing-based platform to create highly portable, autonomous infectious disease diagnostics that can function reliably in orbit”, said Dr. Chiu, adding that “We will leverage the same technologies that are being deployed in the harsh environment of space to support underserved populations on Earth who have limited or no access to clinical testing.”
“This collaboration enables us to build on our years of collaborative research in extreme environments and accelerate the development of diagnostics that can protect astronauts on long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars” said Dr. ChrisMason, Co-Founder and Global Director of Biotia. “We’re honored to partner with Boryung and contribute to a future where precision health is possible anywhere— whether in orbit or in the most remote corners of our planet.”
The partnership marks a significant step in Biotia’s mission to protect global health through genomics and AI-powered diagnostics and aligns with Boryung’s commitment to building a robust ecosystem for space health innovation.
About Boryung
Boryung is a life science infrastructure company based in South Korea, aiming to solve humanity’s health challenges both on Earth and in space. Through initiatives like the HISChallenge, Boryung identifies and supports startups developing breakthrough technologies in space medicine, fostering a global ecosystem for public space participation.Selected companies receive funding, global exposure, and strategic guidance to accelerate their solutions.
About Biotia
Biotia is a health-tech company located in New York, NY, that leverages sequencing-based technology and proprietary AI-powered software to rapidly and accurately identify microorganisms and antimicrobial resistance. Their mission is to fight infectious diseases by deploying the leading reference library of microbes worldwide. As a spinout company of Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech, Biotia has a New York State CLIA lab for infectious disease diagnostics testing affiliated with SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.