Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Onboard the ISS
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).), manager of the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) U.S. National Laboratory, hosted a three-day online seminar series focused on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Each day of the seminar series focused on a specific topic area: biofabrication, organoids and microphysiological systems, and stem cells.
The National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, and commercial partners have all invested resources in life sciences research leveraging the ISS National Lab to improve life on Earth—specifically in the areas of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This research seeks to understand the effects of 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. conditions on stem cell behavior, 3D cell culture, the construction of complex tissues, and disease modeling.
Bringing together thought leaders in the field of bioengineering, the seminar series reviewed key tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research conducted on the ISS over the past 15 years and examined how the future of this important research could advance biomedical discovery. The series also discussed specific areas of research and new capabilities that enable life sciences research and in-space production on the ISS.
Download this Report.