Joe A. Adam Presents Ring Sheared Drop (RSD) Research at 2025 ISSRDC
During the Virtual Conference for the Research and Development of the ISS in 2025 (ISSDRC), Joe A. Adam of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, presented the subject entitled “Surface science in microgravity – fluid geometry in the drop to go up“, Presented to a large audience of the academic world and the scientific community during the development session of physical sciences and materials.
Dr. Adam has provided a complete overview of Drop Shear (RSD), experience campaigns and the evolutionary role of the RSD in the advancement of biophysical sciences, in particular in the characterization of proteins. Taking advantage of the lack of severity aboard the ISS, the RSD allows researchers to isolate the aggregation processes induced by shear relevant for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer and Parkinson, offering an overview of mechanisms that are difficult to observe with experiences on the ground.
The presentation has drawn the development of the RSD, starting with the initial campaign in 2016 which was funded by the biological and physical sciences (BPS) for material development and the first scientific campaign, and culminating in the last flight campaign 2025, which involved the study of three key proteins: immunoglobulin G (IGG), insulin and human albumin (HSA).
A highlight of the session was a discussion on the configuration of the personalized RSD camera, which has enabled a new technique of characterization of fluids known as the particle monitoring velocimimetry (PTV). This method allows researchers to visually follow the movement of particles in the fall of fluid, supporting the validation and refinement of theoretical and calculation models describing the behavior of proteins in microgravity.
Adam also explained how imaging and velocimetry techniques in situes, activated by the unique configuration of the RSD camera, improve the analysis of the flow of the fluid and the aggregation driven by the shear at the molecular level.
The presentation presented a series of comparative videos of past and current RSD campaigns, illustrating the dynamics of proteins under compositions of variable samples. He underlined how the flight data is compared to the analog experiments of the earth to 1) validate the predictive models and 2) light up the design of the future search for microgravity – the double home of research from the start.
The session ended with a summary of the preliminary results of the 2025 campaign, including the results of the multi-geometry rheometry, which offer a more in-depth overview of the viscoelastic behavior of shear proteins. These results may well contribute to the development of future pharmaceutical and therapeutic strategies.
To display the entire presentation, a recording is available to download from the ISSRDC 2025 site.
Visit the IT Database of Physical Sciences (PSI) to access the data of the experience of two RSD campaigns, the interfacial bioproceding of pharmaceuticals (IBP-I) and the formation of amyloid fibrils (AFF) with additional RSD data provided for release in 2026.
