Abstract

Tissue Chips in Space: Modeling Human Disease States in Microgravity

Dmitriy Krepkiy, Program Officer, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Several biological systems weaken or deteriorate in microgravity and these dysfunctions closely mirror some age-related disease states. These microgravity-induced phenomena provide the opportunity to model these diseases in space and gain insights into the mechanisms controlling age-related dysfunction. Through partnerships between NCATS, NASA and the Center for Advancement of Science in Space, the Tissue Chips in Space program was created (https://ncats.nih.gov/tissuechip/projects/space) to study the effects of microgravity environment on the human body at the International Space Station National Laboratory. The Tissue Chips in Space program supports development of tissue chip and organ-on-a-chip platforms that model physiological changes associated with aging and related diseases. This program enabled advances in the study of microgravity-associated age-related conditions mimicking accelerated aging pathophysiology in a relatively shorter period of time than it would take to undertake the same studies on Earth. 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, alteration of gene expression and DNA damage. These findings have expanded our understanding of age-related conditions and will contribute to drug development that can slow the process of aging and lead to new interventions to improve human health. This program has also made key technological improvements in the tissue chips instrumentation systems towards automation and miniaturization required for space flight. These technological advances will be used for future engineering of tissue chip platforms for ease of use and broader accessibility of tissue chips in drug development and biomedical research here on Earth.