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Airbus, Zurich scientists cooperating to grow human tissues in space

26th August 2021

By: Rebecca Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

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Airbus Defence and Space reported on Thursday that it had cooperated with scientists at the University of Zurich (UZH) Space Hub to develop a technology demonstration experiment which will produce human tissue in almost zero gravity conditions onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The experiment will be carried to the ISS on the next supply flight.

This is the latest stage in a programme aimed at making three-dimensional human organ-like tissues, known as organoids, from human stem cells, under microgravity conditions on the ISS. Such organoids would be incredibly valuable in at least two very important applications. One, they could be used by pharmaceutical companies to carry out toxicological studies directly on human tissue, and so eliminating the need to carry out experiments on animals. And two, they could be used as ‘building blocks’ for replacement tissues, to repair damaged organs. Currently, the global demand for donated organs far exceeds the supply.

“On Earth, three-dimensional organoids cannot be produced without supporting skeletons because of gravity,” pointed out UZH scientist Cora Thiel. Her UZH colleague in the programme is Oliver Ullrich. The role of the Airbus Innovations team, led by Julian Raatschen, has been to develop the hardware for the experiment and ensure access to the ISS.

The project was started in 2018 and its previous stage successfully took place 18 months ago. It saw 250 test tubes containing human stem cells spend a month on the ISS, during which time differentiated organ-like structures for liver, bone and cartilage developed, as planned, from the stem cells. In sharp contrast, the ‘control group’ of such cultures, kept on Earth, displayed, at best, only minimal cell differentiation.

“We are the first to show that the path to production in space is feasible, not in theory, but in practice,” highlighted Ullrich. “Currently, the focus is on production engineering issues and quality control. With regard to the envisaged commercialisation, we now have to find out how long and in what quality we can keep the organoids grown in space in culture after their return to Earth.”

The latest test unit and samples will be returned to Earth at the start of October, and the first results from the experiment are expected in November. “If successful, the technology can be further developed and brought to operational maturity,” observed Raatschen. “Airbus and the UZH Space Hub can thus make a further contribution to improving the quality of life on Earth through space-based solutions.”

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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