Exobiosphere’s Biotech Platform for Advanced Ground and Space Research to be installed at Notre Dame
Los Angeles– December 1, 2025 — Biotech startup Exobiosphere has entered into a strategic agreement with the University of Notre Dame for the university to acquire, validate, and deploy a terrestrial version of its automated high-throughput screening system. The platform, about the size of a carry-on suitcase, will be installed at Notre Dame in mid-2026 for use in biomedical research and as a ground-based testbed supporting future spaceflight experiments.
The system integrates advanced liquid handling, environmental control, and high-resolution imaging into a compact, autonomous lab format—enabling scalable biological experimentation in settings where traditional lab infrastructure falls short. Notre Dame’s implementation of the platform will open new opportunities for high-throughput disease modeling, therapeutic screening, and remote diagnostics in a miniaturized platform.
The system will be operated within the research program of Dr. Meenal Datta, the Jane Schoelch DeFlorio Collegiate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and assistant professor in the College of Engineering, whose lab investigates immunology and biophysics in tumor microenvironments. The installation will extend her team’s capabilities across multiple experimental domains.
“This agreement positions Notre Dame at the intersection of biotechnology, automation, and health innovation,” said Dr. Meenal Datta. “We are integrating next-generation research tools to push beyond the constraints of conventional lab setups and enable biomedical discovery at scale.”
Founded in 2024, Exobiosphere is developing next-generation systems for autonomous life science research. The company’s technology is designed for environments that demand precision, miniaturization, and reliability—including research labs, decentralized clinical sites, and future missions to low-gravity environments.
“Our mission is to improve and extend life on Earth and in Space through high-impact, dual-use technology,” said Kyle Acierno, CEO of Exobiosphere. “Notre Dame’s installation demonstrates the platform’s value on Earth while also serving as a critical step toward future space-based applications.”
The system will support research ranging from accelerated drug discovery to rural health diagnostics. It will also enable cross-validation with experiments conducted under spaceflight conditions—providing the translational evidence base needed to support regulatory and commercial pathways in the biomedical sector.
About the University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is the leading global Catholic research university, providing a distinctive voice in higher education. Rigorously intellectual, boldly moral in orientation, and firmly embracing of a service ethos, Notre Dame is rated among the top 20 of all U.S. institutions of higher learning and is a member of the Association of American Universities. Founded in 1842 and located adjacent to South Bend, Indiana, the University is advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education and creative endeavor to be a powerful means for doing good in the world.
About Exobiosphere
Exobiosphere is a biotechnology company developing autonomous high-throughput screening platforms for life sciences. Its miniaturized, self-contained systems are designed to enable complex biological experimentation in any setting—from advanced research labs to remote or infrastructure-limited environments. Exobiosphere’s mission is eto unlock new frontiers in biomedicine through scalable, automated tools that improve health outcomes on Earth and beyond.
Nach Dave, Meenal Datta, Bruno Santos