[Space Organogenesis]
Development of advanced 3D organ culture system utilizing microgravity environment

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

• In the field of organ transplantation, the supply for organs is far less than the demand. There is a need for establishing a technology to create artificial organs using regenerative medicine technology.
• Cell culture on the Earth is limited to two-dimensional expansion in a monolayer structure due to the effects of gravity. However, it is expected that cell culture can be expanded into three dimensions in the microgravity environment of space. The purpose Development of Advanced 3D Organ Culture System Utilizing the Microgravity Environment (Space Organogenesis) is to establish the technology for cell growth in three dimensions in space.

DESCRIPTION

New technologies for generating human organs are rapidly emerging in the field of regenerative medicine. Previously, a novel technology was developed to generate “organ buds” using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (HiPSC) by regulating cell condensation. To reconstruct human organs with a large blood vessel applicable to medical transplantation, organ bud technology needs to be advanced as follows: 1) generation of large organs by 3D aggregation and the fusion of organ buds, and 2) fusion of organ buds and a large blood vessel by inducing tissue-tissue interactions.

To develop these innovative three-dimensional culture technologies, two experiments, that are part of the Development of Advanced 3D Organ Culture System Utilizing the Microgravity Environment (Space Organogenesis) investigation, are conducted in the microgravity environment of space aboard the International Space Station (ISS). As a first step, the aggregation and agglutination of HiPSC organ buds around an artificial blood vessel is demonstrated. As a second step, the tissue-tissue interaction between HiPSC organ buds and an animal-derived vessel or a human cell-derived vessel is conducted and evaluated. More specifically, HiPSC organ buds are agglutinated around a large vessel in a static microgravity environment to demonstrate whether or not fusion can occur between HiPSC organ buds and a large vessel through neovascularization.

Under the microgravity environment, differences in specific gravity do not affect the position of objects and convection does not occur. Thus, the positions of HiPSC organ buds gathered around a large vessel can be kept in space without using matrices or scaffolds, so that direct interaction between tissues occurring during organ development would be mimicked properly.

SPACE APPLICATIONS

This investigation could demonstrate advantages of using microgravity for cutting-edge developments in regenerative medicine, supporting the increased commercialization of space.

EARTH APPLICATIONS

The demand for organs for transplantation far exceeds the supply, creating a need for a technology to create artificial organs. Results from this investigation may contribute to establishing this technology, helping people in need of transplants on Earth.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND PROTOCOLS

After arrival of the SpaceX Dragon Cargo Vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS), samples are observed by onboard microscope for health check before being placed in refrigerated storage. After removal from refrigerated storage, rotation of the samples starts to begin the cell agglutination process. Some of the agglutinated samples are observed under a microscope. All samples are placed and incubated in the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) for cultivation. Observation of the samples, and medium exchange tasks, are conducted periodically during cultivation. At the end of the experiment, the samples are fixed and stowed in a refrigerator/freezer for return to Earth.