New Space-Based Study Shows Promising Results for Treating, Preventing Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis

Kennedy Space Center (FL), May 28, 2024—More than 650 million people worldwide are affected by osteoarthritis, and few treatment options exist. However, new promising results from an International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory-sponsored experiment detail a tissue chipA tissue chip, or organ-on-a-chip or microphysiological system, is a small engineered device containing human cells and growth media to model the structure and function of human tissues and/or organs. Using tissue chips in microgravity, researchers can study the mechanisms behind disease and test new treatments for patients on Earth. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a multiyear partnership with the ISS National Laboratory® to fund tissue chip research on the space station. model that accurately reproduces the conditions under which post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is initiated. Published in Frontiers in Space in March, these findings mark an important step forward in understanding and testing treatments for the underlying causes of osteoarthritis and related conditions.

In the latest issue of Upward, the official magazine of the ISS National Lab, study author Alan Grodzinsky, a biological engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), discusses experiments on the space station using his team’s innovative tissue chip model. The model effectively replicated a joint environment with viable human cartilage, bone, and synovium cocultures, establishing a baseline for understanding and testing treatments for PTOA, which can occur after a traumatic injury to a joint and affects around 20 percent of the millions of people with osteoarthritis. Despite its prevalence, no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs exist to treat or prevent osteoarthritis and related conditions.

Grodzinsky commented on the significance of these findings in Upward, stating, “This opens up new possibilities for testing drugs and interventions for osteoarthritis and other joint disorders. It could also aid in developing preventative treatments.”

The space environment was essential to the experiment’s success, as it appeared to simulate osteoarthritis characteristics quicker than similar experiments on Earth, with past research demonstrating accelerated bone loss in 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.. Key findings from the study show the tissue chip’s capability to emulate the initiation and progression of PTOA and the effects of various treatment modalities. Notably, the device accurately simulated the impact of drugs commonly used to alleviate inflammation and pain in patients. Additionally, it showed potential for evaluating a drug designed to stimulate cartilage growth and repair, offering promising avenues for therapeutic intervention.

By providing a platform for precise and controlled experimentation, the tissue chip model offers researchers a powerful tool to explore the mechanisms underlying joint diseases and develop targeted therapeutic strategies, says Grodzinsky.

Download a high-resolution photo: Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques

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 Laboratory® allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of 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 ISS 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™ (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 our website.

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