SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT INVOLVED:

• Luch-2 equipment accommodating multipurpose crystallization cassettes

• Thermal insulating container Biokont-T
  for transportation of the Luch-2 equipment

• Temperature-stable container "AQUA 01"

PURPOSE:

Creation of new vaccines against dangerous virous diseases, development of the national vaccine against AIDS.

OBJECTIVES:

Development tests of the crystallization procedure and production of the crystals of protein-candidate for vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) under microgravity conditions.

EXPERIMENT RESULTS:

The crystals grown under space flight conditions in multipurpose crystallization cassettes returned to Earth for a subsequent X-ray crystal analysis.

EXPECTED RESULTS:

Creation of a new generation of vaccines against virous infections based upon synthetic proteins with a predetermined antigenicity and immunogenicity.