The Space Summit 2024 Agenda

Biomanufacturing and In-Space Production Applications on the ISS National Lab
Michael Roberts, Chief Scientific Officer, International Space Station National Laboratory, United States of America

NASA and the ISS National Laboratory are enabling the commercial development of low-Earth orbit by sponsoring both fundamental research and the in space manufacturing of advanced materials and biological products that improve life on Earth. As the International Space Station continues to offer access to the unique benefits of a microgravity laboratory, producing breakthrough research as well as new and improved products and technologies, it is also pioneering the path forward for the transition to commercially LEO platforms.

In-Space Produced Janus Base Nanomaterials for Treatment of Osteoarthritis and Solid Tumors
Yupeng Chen, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut, United States of America

There is a significant need for novel nanomaterials and their fabrication methods for emerging biomedical applications, such as drug and RNA delivery. Although lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been approved for RNA delivery, they exhibit unsatisfactory stability at ambient temperature and high liver accumulation, which limits their applications. To address these issues, we have successfully developed a new family of DNA-inspired Janus base nanomaterials (JBNs). These can form rod-shaped nanoparticles, which are slimmer than spherical LNPs, and successfully deliver therapeutic cargoes into “hard-to-penetrate” tissues, including articular cartilage and certain matrix-rich solid tumors. Our JBNs are formed through controlled self-assembly processes in water and remain stable at ambient temperature, both before and after cargo loading, making them highly suitable for in-space production. Preliminary results have demonstrated that JBNs can be successfully fabricated in space, where microgravity significantly enhances the self-assembly of JBNs, thereby improving drug loading and uniformity. This enhancement could enable maximum therapeutic efficacy with minimal toxicity. In summary, our in-space produced JBNs may offer a revolutionary strategy for RNA and drug delivery to “hard-to-penetrate” tissues, potentially treating diseases such as osteoarthritis and cancer.

Single Cell Sequencing Reveals Non-Random Genetic Alterations in a Cyanobacterium During the Biology and Mars Experiment (BIOMEX)
Yuguang Liu, Assistant Professor and Associate Consultant, Microbiome Program, Mayo Clinic, United States of America

Understanding the impact of long-term exposure of microorganisms to space is critical in understanding how these exposures impact life during extended human missions. Here, we subjected Nostoc sp. CCCryo 231-06, a cyanobacterium capable of surviving in extreme conditions, to a 23-month stay at the International Space Station (BIOMEX, on the EXPOSE-R2 platform) and returned it to Earth for single-cell whole genome analysis. We used a microfluidic platform to isolate single cells, and amplify femtograms of DNA in a precisely controlled manner with minimal contamination, and sequenced their whole genome to identify the genomic changes in single Nostoc cells. The variant profile showed that biofilm and photosystem associated loci were the most altered, with an increased variant rate of synonymous base pair substitutions. We concluded that the combined effect of complex cosmic radiation and UV exposure may result in synergistic damage effects, with a higher number of synonymous variants with simultaneous exposure to cosmic and UV radiations. The cause(s) and evolutionary implications of the non-random synonymous genomic substitutions observed at the single cell level under long-term cosmic exposure warrants further investigation, and may revolutionize our views on how evolution occurs at the single cell, and also population level.

Biomanufacturing in Microgravity – Where we are Today and Where we Plan to Go in the Future
Molly Mulligan, Director, Business Development, Redwire, United States of America

Biomanufacturing at scale in space is not today but it will be in the future. Using 3D bioprinters and automated crystallization systems with real time data, biomanufacturing is poised to have a breakthrough in microgravity. This talk will focus on the technology and possibilities of today on ISS and what the future holds on CLDs for true scale biomanufacturing in small and large molecule crystallization and 3D bioprinting.

Successful Microfluidic Fabrication Strategies for Experiments in Microgravity
Leanna Levine, Founder & CEO, ALine, Inc., United States of America

This talk will discuss the pioneering work ALine did to enable a range of devices for experiments in microgravity, whether in autonomous satellite packages or on the international space station.

Low Earth Orbit Research Opportunities on the International Space Station
Kristin Kopperud, Science Program Director, Biological Sciences, International Space Station National Laboratory, United States of America

Overview of the ISS National Laboratory, including its mission, role, and unique set of experimental conditions. I will also discuss some research opportunities, from past to upcoming, that are available to researchers desiring to conduct experiments in microgravity.

NCATS Tissue Chips in Space Program
Danilo Tagle, Director, Office of Special Initiatives, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the NIH (NCATS), United States of America

Several human body systems demonstrate physiological changes when subjected to microgravity environment during spaceflight  – cardiac dysfunction, decrease in muscle mass, bone density loss, decreased visual acuity, and immunosenescence – and these physiological changes closely mirror some age-related disease states except that microgravity-induced changes can happen in weeks or months compared to years and decades on earth. Through a partnership between NCATS, NASA and the Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the Tissue Chips in Space program was established in 2017 to study the effects of a microgravity environment by deploying tissue chips representing key aspects of the human body at the International Space Station National Laboratory (ISS NL). Through this program, we have learned how microgravity exerts a unique range of stresses and pathophysiological perturbations on the human body resulting in dramatic increase in oxidative stress and inflammation, muscle wasting, immune senescence, cardiovascular deconditioning and cardiomyopathy, and alteration of gene expression. Aside from the scientific benefits of studying human physiological changes in space, the program has also benefited from technological improvements in the miniaturization and automation of tissue chips instrumentation that is requisite for payload deployment and operations at the ISS NL.

The Tissue Chips in Space program will be renewed to focus on the development of multi-organ integrated tissue chip and organ-on-a-chip platforms more closely approximating human body-on-chip systems that model physiological changes associated with hallmarks of aging and related diseases in low earth orbit (LEO). The renewal will also support the use of iPSC-derived organ-specific cell types from diverse groups of people enabling applications in Precision Medicine. This program renewal will enable advances in the study of microgravity-associated conditions mimicking accelerated aging pathophysiology in a relatively shorter period of time than it would take to undertake the same studies on Earth. These advances are expected to lead to better our understanding of the mechanisms controlling age-related conditions and to new countermeasures that can slow or mitigate the process of aging.