Cardiac Tissues Launch to the International Space Station

Heart cells derived from human stem cells stained for muscle protein (green) and nuclei (blue).
Media Credit: Parvin Forghani, PhD, Emory University

WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY (VA), July XX, 2023 – Heart disease may be the leading cause of death in the United States, but researchers from Emory University are working toward a solution. The team will leverage the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory to continue research examining how microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. affects the growth and function of cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) as they mature into tissue-like structures. Findings will help advance cardiac disease modeling and could lead to the development of new therapies to treat heart disease in patients on Earth.

In the absence of gravity, cardiac cells grow differently, which could lead to valuable advancements in regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and the development of more effective drugs. Chunhui Xu, a professor in the department of pediatrics at Emory University, is studying how cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) grow in microgravity. The project, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and sponsored by the ISS National Lab, will launch on Northrop Grumman’s 19th Commercial Resupply Services mission(Abbreviation: CRS mission) A CRS mission is a cargo resupply mission contracted by NASA to deliver supplies and research to the International Space Station on commercial spacecraft as part of the CRS contract with three commercial companies. As part of CRS missions, experiments currently return to Earth on SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that splash down in the ocean. and builds on previous research from Xu and her team.

“These types of cells can be used to replace damaged cells in patients with heart disease,” Xu said. “However, stem cell-derived cardiac cells are immature compared to the same cells in our bodies; they’re more like fetal or embryonic cardiac cells.”

Xu says that cells that are more mature are needed to transplant into patients with heart disease because when immature cells are transplanted, there is an increased risk of complications like arrhythmia. To that end, Xu’s investigation will focus on the maturation of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells into microtissues. She says the key to producing more mature cells is understanding how they grow and function—and the ideal place to do that is on the ISS. That is because growing the cells into microtissues in microgravity is expected to reduce tension between cells and improve the tissue architecture.

“Microgravity is really amazing; the cells can sense what kind of environment they’re in and adapt to it,” Xu said. “As such, the ISS provides a unique environment that’s perfect for helping us discover new things that aren’t possible anywhere else.”

According to Xu, the cells on this mission will be cryopreserved until they reach the ISS, where they will be thawed and allowed to mature for an estimated seven days. Then, the resulting microtissues will be preserved and returned to Earth for analysis. Findings will provide the research team with better insight into microgravity’s effects on cardiac function.

The mission is targeted for launch from Wallops Flight Facility no earlier than August 2 at TKTK EST. This mission will include more than 15 ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads. To learn more about all ISS National Lab-sponsored research on this mission, please visit our launch page.

Media Contact:
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

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About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory: The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles.. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the space station are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation. Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit issnationallab.org.