ISS National Lab to Host Session at World Stem Cell Summit on Regenerative Medicine in Low Earth Orbit

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), June 11, 2021 – The International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) U.S. National Laboratory will host a panel of industry experts on the impacts of health, aging, and human survival research onboard the orbiting laboratory at the World Stem Cell Summit. This annual event brings together noted science, industry and policy experts in regenerative medicine. It also provides multiple forums to discuss the impacts of current research on the ISS and future opportunities in space that promise to accelerate the translation of cell-based therapeutics for patients on Earth. The summit is taking place virtually from Wednesday, June 16, through Friday, June 18th.

The Expanse! Stem Cell Research on the International Space Station – Impact on Health, Aging, and Human Survival session will take place on Wednesday, June 17, from 11:00 a.m. ET- 12:00 p.m. ET and will be moderated by Dr. Marc Giulianotti, senior program director for the ISS National Lab. The following panelists will join him:

• Jeanne Loring, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Scripps Research Institute
• Christopher Porada, Ph.D., professor, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
• Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering, Columbia University
• William Wagner, Ph.D., director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (manager of the ISS National Lab) has advanced stem cell and regenerative medicine research through grants awarded that leverage the ISS National Lab, such as the “Impact of Microgravity on Fundamental Stem Cell Properties” and “Microphysiological Systems for Organs-on-Chips Research” solicitations. Additionally, the ISS National Lab has collaborated with the National Institutes of Health to support tissue chip research focused on human physiology and disease and the National Science Foundation to support tissue engineering concepts in a space-based environment. On the most recent SpaceX Commercial Services Resupply mission (funded by NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration) earlier this month, a second tissue chip investigation from the University of Washington launched to the orbiting laboratory focused on the development of more effective countermeasures for kidney diseases.

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are strategic areas of focus for the ISS National Lab. Conducting such research and development in the absence of gravity can  provide us with a better understanding of diseases and improve drug design for thebenefit of humanity. As such, in 2019, the Regenerative Medicine Foundation awarded the ISS National Lab its foundation’s annual Leadership Award for enabling stem cell and regenerative medicine investigations in a space-based environment.

To learn more about the World Stem Cell Summit, including how to register for the event, please visit the summit’s website.

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

# # #

About the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. 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 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 NASA, facilitating access to its permanent 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. 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.

# # #