Abstract

Human Cardiovascular Progenitor Cell Culture on the International Space Station

Mary Kearns-Jonker, Associate Professor, Loma Linda University School of Medicine

Microgravity and the spaceflight environment influences the transcriptome, function and differentiation of cardiovascular progenitor cells.  Our research team studied the effect of spaceflight on human cardiovascular progenitor cells which were flown aboard the International Space Station for 30 days and recovered live to Earth.  Spaceflight and the microgravity environment was found to impact mechanotransduction, cardiogenesis, cell cycling, DNA repair, and signaling events.  Microgravity exposure was associated with enhanced proliferative potential and migration as well as elevated expression of paracrine factors.  Neonatal human cardiovascular progenitor cells cultured in space demonstrated enhanced stemness.  This presentation will discuss our findings and the relevance of these results for stem cell based applications on Earth and cardiovascular progenitor cell function in space.