International Space Station National Lab supports cardiac, genetic research

When NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 28, one of the ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations included a student-led project designed to investigate the consequences of radiation and the space environment on gene-editing mechanisms.

In a statement, the ISS National Laboratory said that data from the project, led by principal investigator Isabel Jiang, may help to develop techniques that more effectively protect astronauts and potentially clarify the genetic risks for some diseases during space travel. 

Four investigations funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will take place on an impending commercial resupply services mission that will include a joint project from Oregon State University and Texas Tech University targeting cardiac health.

The experiment will use “3D-bioprinted cardiac organoids to study microgravity-induced atrophy on heart muscle cells,” the ISS National Lab said in a statement.  

According to NIH’s National Library of Medicine, cardiac organoids are in vitro self-organizing three-dimensional structures composed of multiple cardiac cells, including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and cardiac fibroblasts, with or without biological scaffolds.

Researchers hope that data from the investigation might lead to increased understanding of heart muscle atrophy, which could be present in cancer, muscle disease, muscular dystrophy, diabetes sepsis and heart failure.

In addition, several NASA-funded projects sponsored by the ISS will center on in-space manufacturing, including a study by Sachi Bioworks in a partnership with Space Tango. The investigation will use brain organoids in microgravity to test the outcome of a novel drug on three neurodegenerative conditions: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. 

Investigators will examine the results to see if they could help advance the expansion of new therapeutics for patients on planet earth.

THE LARGER TREND

In August, the ISS National Lab and NASA announced the National Lab Research Announcement (NLRA), which will provide up to $4 million spread out over two to three awards for projects that leverage the space environment and technology to develop therapies for diseases on Earth.

In 2023, NASA sent four astronauts to the ISS on a six-month science expedition to conduct research designed to improve healthcare options on Earth.

In 2022, four astronauts went to the ISS as part of SpaceX’s 5th Commercial Crew mission where they brought multiple research investigations sponsored by the ISS National Lab.