Public funding will be provided by NASA for a new research on microgravity and its impact on drug efficiency.

USC School of Pharmacy researchers are about to start a $600,000 study funded by the national Space Biology Program at NASA. This is the first time when the school has got a grant from NASA. The research will be conducted in outer space, aboard the International Space Station.

Dr. Clay Wang, Associate Professor and his team, will perform experiments on fungi's DNA and RNA metabolic levels. They will try to find out mechanisms behind drug production in such organisms. Wang with his team will be conducting the research from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The study has a unique approach and it focuses on drug development, which led to NASA provide funds for it.

According to NASA statement, there is a possibility that the results of this research will help in future space exploration and also be helpful to the growth of new biological tools or applications on Earth.

Researchers will also find out that how microgravity environments influence the effectiveness of drugs. This is the first time that any study of fungi in space will be conducted. The project is unique because of being based on drug discovery. Only 26 proposals got funding from across the nation.

Wang will be looking particularly at fungi and he expects that his research will provide significant help in development of drugs that could help in space.

"Organisms produce different drugs under different conditions. They are smart, and they only make drugs when they need them", said Wang.