Arun Sharma,
Assistant Professor,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Dr. Arun Sharma, PhD is an assistant professor at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Sharma’s research focuses on the applications of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for studying cardiovascular biology, modeling diseases “in a dish” with genome editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9, and developing platforms for screening drug cardiotoxicity and efficacy.
He previously led a project that sent human stem cell-derived heart cells to the International Space Station (ISS) to study the effects of microgravity on human heart function. He also recently co-led the 2020 Biomanufacturing in Space Symposium, hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). This symposium led to a peer-reviewed publication in the journal Stem Cell Reports, identifying the most promising opportunities to leverage the ISS for research and development to advance space-based biomanufacturing and regenerative medicine.
Dr. Sharma has published articles in major scientific journals such as Science, Nature Biotechnology, Science Translational Medicine, and Cell Stem Cell. He has received multiple awards for his work, including the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science, Sartorius & Science Award in Regenerative Medicine, and the American Heart Association Career Development Award. Finally, he is an advocate for conveying science to general and scientific audiences through public speaking and is a co-host of the internationally-acclaimed Stem Cell Podcast.
Modeling the Effects of Spaceflight on the Human Heart Using Stem Cell-derived Cardiomyocytes
Monday, 14 October 2019 at 09:45
Add to Calendar ▼2019-10-14 09:45:002019-10-14 10:45:00Europe/LondonModeling the Effects of Spaceflight on the Human Heart Using Stem Cell-derived CardiomyocytesThe Space Summit 2019 in Coronado Island, CaliforniaCoronado Island, CaliforniaSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com
With extended stays aboard the International Space Station (ISS) becoming commonplace as humanity prepares for exploration-class space missions, the need to better understand the effects of microgravity on cardiac function during spaceflight is critical. However, primary human heart tissues, which would be useful for in vitro studies on heart function, are difficult to obtain and maintain. As a model system, we utilized cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to study the effects of microgravity on human cardiac function and gene expression at the cellular level. We derived hiPSCs from three healthy volunteers and produced hiPSC-CMs using a high-efficiency differentiation protocol. We cultured hiPSC-CMs in a microgravity environment aboard the ISS for approximately one month, during which weekly media changes were conducted. We analyzed the gene expression, structure, and function of space-flown and groundside control hiPSC-CM samples using RNA-sequencing, immunofluorescence, calcium imaging, and contractility assessment. This study represents the first time that hiPSC technology has been used to study the effects of spaceflight on human cardiomyocyte function and demonstrates that microgravity affects human cardiomyocyte function on the cellular level.
Add to Calendar ▼2019-10-14 00:00:002019-10-15 00:00:00Europe/LondonThe Space Summit 2019The Space Summit 2019 in Coronado Island, CaliforniaCoronado Island, CaliforniaSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com
Add to Calendar ▼2019-10-14 09:45:002019-10-14 10:45:00Europe/LondonModeling the Effects of Spaceflight on the Human Heart Using Stem Cell-derived CardiomyocytesThe Space Summit 2019 in Coronado Island, CaliforniaCoronado Island, CaliforniaSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com
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