[NASA] Tissue Chips Accurately Model Organs in Space

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NASA astronaut Jessica Meir conducts cardiac research using tissue chip platforms in the Life Sciences Glovebox aboard space station in March of 2022.

NASA

The International Space Station offers a unique microgravity environment where cells outside the human body behave similarly to how they do inside the human body.

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are small devices containing living cells that mimic complex functions of specific human tissues and organs. Researchers can run experiments using tissue chips aboard space station to understand ******** progression and provide faster and safer alternatives for preparing medicine for clinical trials.

Researchers placed engineered heart tissues on tissue chips sent to

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how microgravity impacts cardiac functions in space.

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these heart tissues experienced impaired contractions, subcellular structural changes, and increased stress, which can lead to tissue damage and ********. Previous studies conducted on human subjects have displayed similar outcomes. In the future, engineered heart tissues could accurately model the effects of spaceflight on cardiac function.

Another

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used muscle-on-a-chip technology to evaluate whether engineered muscle tissues can mimic the characteristics of reduced muscle regeneration in microgravity.

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that engineered muscle-on-a-chip platforms are viable for studying muscle-related bioprocesses in space. In addition, samples treated with drugs known to stimulate muscle regeneration showed partial prevention of the effects of microgravity. These results demonstrate that muscle-on-chip can also be used to study and identify drugs that may prevent muscle decline in space and age-related muscle decline on Earth.

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NASA astronaut Megan McArthur works on the Cardinal Muscle investigation in the Life Sciences Glovebox aboard the space station in August of 2021.

NASA

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