Neural Organoids in Space: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Brain in Microgravity

Dopaminergic neurons growing in a culture dish

Dopaminergic neurons growing in a culture dish (20x magnification).

Media Credit: Aspen Neuroscience

January 29, 2025 • By Davide Marotta, Program Director In-Space Biomanufacturing

What happens to human brain cells when they grow in space? This might sound like a question from science fiction, but it’s a real and exciting area of research.

Before joining the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, I and an incredible team of scientists from National Stem Cell Foundation, the Scripps Research Institute, and The New York Stem Cell Foundation sent 3D models of the human brain, known as neural organoids, to the ISS to study how they develop in microgravity. The results, recently published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, are opening doors to incredible possibilities for health and medicine on Earth.

For nearly 150 years, scientists on Earth have been striving to develop effective therapies that delay or cure neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis. While significant progress has been made, the complexity of these disorders has often kept definitive treatments just out of reach. Now, thanks to space-based biomedical research, the paradigm is shifting. Microgravity offers a unique environment that accelerates neural development and provides unprecedented opportunities to study the brain in ways previously unimaginable. This new frontier sparks hope for breakthroughs that could transform how we understand and treat neurodegeneration.

The brain is one of the most complex organs in the human body, and understanding how it works is a major challenge. Neural organoids—clusters of brain cells grown from adult stem cells derived from patients—allow scientists to study brain development and diseases in a lab. Sending these organoids to space, where gravity is reduced, is helping us investigate how neural cells behave in conditions that are impossible to replicate on Earth.

My team’s study, which was sponsored by the ISS National Lab, was the first to use disease-associated neural organoids derived from patients for microgravity research, offering a unique platform to study neurodegenerative diseases. The findings set the stage for further research into the mechanisms of accelerated neural maturation and the potential for developing therapeutic approaches on Earth. The team now plans to expand the study, aiming to extend the duration of organoid experiments to observe how microgravity affects brain development over longer periods.

This groundbreaking work has benefits that go well beyond curiosity. Studying neurodegenerative disease is incredibly complex. By analyzing brain cells in space, we can uncover clues about how these diseases work, paving the way for new therapies. Microgravity creates unique conditions that alter how cells grow, divide, and communicate. Neural organoids are already revolutionizing how we study the brain, but space-based research can make these models even more powerful. The accelerated growth and differentiation of stem cells in microgravity allows scientists to study developmental processes and diseases in a condensed timeframe, saving years of research. Testing drugs in the space environment will help us discover treatments faster and will enable better prediction of how these treatments might work in patients.

This is just the beginning. Studying neural organoids in space isn’t just about understanding the brain—it’s about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in science and medicine. These tiny brain models are helping us answer big questions about health and disease. From developing new treatments for brain disorders to creating advanced tissue models, this research is a giant leap forward in understanding the human body. As we explore these new frontiers, we’re learning about the brain and discovering innovative ways to improve lives on Earth.

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