Organoids in space
Swiss scientists will grow artificial human organs on the ISS
Researchers from the University of Zurich reported that with the next resupply mission The International Space Station, which is scheduled to launch on August 28, they will send human stem cells into orbit, prepared for growing miniature artificial organs from them – organoids. This is the first step in the implementation of a project for the industrial production of human tissues in zero gravity. The information is posted on the university's website.
3D Organoids in Space is a joint project of the space division of the University of Zurich and Airbus. University biologists have prepared a theoretical justification and conducted laboratory experiments, and the Airbus Innovations team, led by project manager Julian Raatschen, has developed equipment and is responsible for its delivery to the ISS.
The researcher places pre-prepared human stem cells into the CubeLab bioreactor, which will be delivered to the ISS. Photo: Julian Raatschen, Airbus Defence and Space.
Three-dimensional organoids are of great interest from the pharmaceutical industry: they allow toxicological studies to be carried out directly on human tissues, without resorting to animal experiments. Organoids grown from patients' stem cells can also be used as building blocks to replace tissue fragments in the treatment of damaged organs.
"On Earth, three-dimensional organoids cannot be produced without matrix support structures due to the earth's gravity," the words of one of the authors of the project idea, biologist Cora Thiel, are quoted in a university press release.
The current stage was preceded by three years of production tests on Earth and in space. So, in March 2020, 250 tubes with stem cells were on board the ISS for a month. During this time, under microgravity conditions, adult stem cells turned into differentiated organ-like structures, such as liver, bones and cartilage. On the contrary, control samples grown on Earth under normal gravity conditions did not show cell differentiation or showed minimal differentiation.
"We have proved that the creation of human tissues in space is possible not only in theory, but also in practice," says another participant of the project, Oliver Ullrich, professor of anatomy at the University of Zurich.
In the current mission, tissue stem cells of two women and two men of different ages will be sent into orbit. The researchers will test how reliable their method is when using cells with different biological variability. The authors suggest that in the future the ISS will function as a workshop for the production of miniature human tissues for use on Earth for scientific purposes and medicine.
"If successful, the technology will be refined and brought to operational maturity. Thus, we will be able to make an additional contribution to improving the quality of life on Earth with the help of space solutions," says project manager Raatshen.
Currently, researchers are focusing on production and quality control issues.
"In view of future commercialization, we need to find out how long and in what quality we can store organoids after they return to Earth," explains Oliver Ulrich.
A sample of the material will return to Earth in early October. Scientists promise to report the first results in November.
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