Space may be the site of important stem-cell research in the years ahead, researchers say. Photo by PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay
Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The zero-gravity conditions in outer space may hold the key to producing large batches of stem cells for medical research and treatment of various diseases on Earth, according to a paper published Thursday by Stem Cell Reports.
Biomanufacturing, a type of stem cell production that uses biological materials such as microbes to produce substances and biomaterials suitable for use in research and treatment, is more efficient in microgravity conditions, the researchers said.
Attendees at the 2020 Biomanufacturing in Space Symposium earlier this month identified more than 50 potential commercial opportunities for conducting biomanufacturing work in space.
The most promising include disease modeling, biofabrication and stem-cell-derived products, according to the paper's authors.
"We are finding that spaceflight and microgravity is a desirable place for biomanufacturing," co-author Arun Sharma said in a press release.
"It confers a number of very special properties to biological tissues and biological processes that can help mass produce cells or other products in a way that you wouldn't be able to do on Earth," said Sharma, a stem cell biologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Over the past 20 years, "remarkable advances have occurred in regenerative medicine and exponential advancement in space technologies," according to Sharma.
These offer new opportunities to access and commercialize space, he said.
Disease modeling is used by scientists to study diseases and potential treatments by replicating full-function structures using stem cells, organoids or other tissues, according to the researchers.
Organoids are miniature, 3D structures grown from human stem cells that resemble human tissue.
Researchers have found that once the body is exposed to low-gravity conditions for extended periods of time, it experiences accelerated bone loss and aging, Sharma and his colleagues said.
By developing disease models based on this accelerated aging process, scientists can better understand the mechanisms of aging and disease progression.
"Not only can this work help astronauts, but it can also lead to us manufacturing bone constructs or skeletal muscle constructs that could be applied to diseases like osteoporosis and other forms of accelerated bone aging and muscle wasting," Sharma said.
Biofabrication, including three-dimensional printing, uses manufacturing processes to produce materials such as tissues and organs, he and his colleagues said.
On Earth, gravity-induced density makes it hard for cells to expand and grow.
However, with the absence of gravity and density in space, scientists said they are hopeful that they can use 3D printing to create organoids or cardiac tissues in a way that can't be replicated on Earth.
Meanwhile, understanding some of the effects of spaceflight on stem cells can potentially lead to better ways to manufacture large numbers of cells in the absence of gravity, according to the researchers.
Sharma and his colleagues from Cedars-Sinai, in conjunction with NASA and a private contractor, Space Tango, will send stem cells into space in early 2022 to test whether it is possible to produce large batches in a low gravity environment, they said.
"While we are still in the exploratory phase of some of this research, this is no longer in the realm of science fiction," Sharma said.
"Within the next five years we may see a scenario where we find cells or tissues that can be made in a way that is simply not possible here on Earth. And I think that's extremely exciting," he said.
