YSM Issue 93.3_Old

FEATURE
Business
THINKING SPACE
BY BRITT
BISTIS
NEW INNOVATIONS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
Biotech and biomedical business skyrockets, literally,
as Andrea Yip, CEO and founder of Luna Design and
Innovation, launches commercial research experiments into
space. Luna is advancing human health and well-being by making
space a commercially viable research platform for biotech and
pharma companies. Luna is the global biotech partner for Blue
Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
Yip’s academic background is in the field of public health. After
receiving her BSc in Biology from the University of Calgary and
her MPH in Health Promotion from the University of Toronto,
she became immersed in helping those around her. Creating new
products and services in mental health and women’s sexual health, she
developed a strong passion for connecting individuals with medical
resources. This commitment is still at the heart of Luna, which seeks
to explore a new platform for medical research. “I still consider myself
as working in healthcare,” she explained, “just in space.”
Behind Luna’s meteoric success is Yip’s dedication to her
concept…and a lot of hard work. Yip had an impressive resumé
in public health and a successful job at Johnson & Johnson in
New York City doing product design, and then, she quit. As she
researched and sought new business opportunities, her mind
wandered into space. “I’ve always been fascinated by space, [and]
I credit my great-grandmother for sparking my interest. She didn’t
speak English but loved to watch visually stimulating TV shows,
her favorites being the World Wrestling Federation and Star Trek.”
The latter completely fascinated Yip: “I loved how they explored
space and pushed scientific boundaries.”
She then began to think about what it would be like to experience
space from the perspective of the everyday citizen, someone like
most of us who have never studied astrophysics or worked for NASA.
She organized her thoughts on a visually concise diagram called
a Journey Map, detailing what a trip to space would be like for a
commercial astronaut or “a space tourist.” Then she sent her creation
to companies, and Virgin Galactic responded with a contract offer.
Yip became CEO of Luna and launched herself into the
business of space exploration. However, creating a start-up
isn’t nearly as hard
as trying to grow its
business, in an arena
where only two percent
of start-up funding goes
to woman entrepreneurs.
“I’m often the only woman
and person of color in the room.
Sometimes, I really stand out when I go
to conferences,” Yip laughed. “Running a startup that focuses on
an emerging market in the space industry is exciting and forces
me to enter uncharted territory. What has been invaluable to
me as an entrepreneur is having diverse mentors and sponsors
who I can turn to for support.” She added, “I’ve learned how
important it is to reach out to other business leaders and
CEOs, particularly other women, who can relate to my own
experiences and help open doors to new opportunities.”
Yip finally saw her vision and hard work become reality by
orchestrating the first Blue Origin space flight competition in
Canada, which allowed over six hundred high school students to
design experiments online to be conducted in space’s microgravity
environment. One selected experiment will be launched into space
on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket with the help of Luna.
“The commercial space industry is transforming the way we
think about space. It’s changing the way people like you or I can
access space today,” Yip says. “Scientists are exploring how to
leverage space as a research platform, and how the microgravity
environment can advance medical research in areas like oncology
or bone and muscle loss.” What excites Yip the most about space
is that it is a potentially untapped resource that is becoming more
tangible for more people. “I don’t have a traditional aerospace
background. I’ve embraced the fact that I have a biology, design,
and public health background and that I can be here, today, and be
one of the few women and people of color who is a space CEO. I’m
excited about what that means for access to space tomorrow and
how we can advance healthcare in space and on Earth.” ■
ART BY ELLIE GABRIEL
44 Yale Scientific Magazine November 2020 www.yalescientific.org