In the Spotlight: Regenerative Medicine
 David Abba Zubair, M.D., Ph.D is an Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and medical and scientific director of the Cell Therapy Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. He is also a Space Biology investigator who is studying the role of mesenchymal stem cells in microgravity-induced bone loss.
His experiment will be the first of its kind to be conducted in space, and the first to evaluate bone marrow derived human stem cells for regenerative medicine application. The Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate provides funding for this investigation.
Dr. Zubair's two cell science experiments comprise the "Microgravity Associated Bone Loss" (MABL) missions. The cells will be loaded on the ground and once on the space station, maintained at the appropriate temperature and pH for the duration of each experiment. MABL-A will culture the mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from male and female human bone marrow donors, each group comprised of 3 young (18-30yrs) and 3 old (>50yrs) individuals, to assess the effects of age and gender on the cells in microgravity. MABL-B will co-culture the MSC and bone cells (osteoclasts and osteocytes) in the presence and absence of IL-6 signaling pathway inhibitor to assess  whether blockage of the trans-signaling pathway will alleviate the biological effects of microgravity on the cells.
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Research Awards to Extend Longevity of 3D Tissue Chips to 6 Months
NASA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announce the award of 8 contracts in a multi-agency collaboration that will extend tissue viability and physiological function to a minimum of 6 months using automated engineering capabilities for real-time online readouts in complex human in vitro models, such as tissue chips or micro-physiological systems.
The scientific objectives are to better understand 1) disease models, 2) drug development, 3) clinical trial design, 4) chemical and environmental exposures and countermeasures, and 5) physiological changes due to the spaceflight environment. In-depth characterization is a critical next step in the evolution of these technologies is, particularly when considering acute versus chronic exposures.
Read more about this multi-agency collaboration and learn who the selected investigators are here.
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Attention Microbiology Scientists!
 Dr. Camilla Urbaniak is a guest editor on two space microbiology special issues. One in Frontiers in Microbiology and one in MDPI Life. She is currently a Principal Investigator on a NASA 2020 Space Biology-funded project, examining biofilm formation and horizontal gene transfer when bacteria are grown on the space station and in simulated microgravity devices on Earth. Dr. Camilla Urbaniak obtained her M.Sc studying the interaction between the gut microbiome and immune system; and her PhD studying the effects of the microbiome and metabolome in breast cancer development or progression. After her PhD she joined the Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow, where she used her experiences to examine the International Space Station built microbiome and changes in the astronaut microbiome during spaceflight.
Please feel free to reach out to her regarding submission to these special issues, or if you have any questions related to space life sciences and working in the space industry. Her e-mail is camilla.urbaniak@jpl.nasa.gov.
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 Spaceflight News
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Space Biology Experiments to Fly on Artemis-1 Mission
Four Biological Experiment-1 (BioExpt-1) investigations will be flying on the Orion Artemis-I spacecraft, planned for launch later this year.
Life Beyond Earth: Effect of Space Flight on Seeds with Improved Nutritional Value
Dr. Federica Brandizzi seeks to establish the impact of the space environment on seed amino acid content and physiology of BCAA-enriched seeds. She'll also be studying the vigor of plants from space-flown seeds.
Multi-Generational Genome-Wide Yeast Fitness Profiling Beyond and Below Earth’s Van Allen Belts
Dr. Luis Zea seeks to identify the metabolic and genomic pathways affected by microgravity, space radiation, and a combination of the two. These observations will then be used to inform pathway-specific and gene-specific approaches designed to ameliorate the detrimental effects of long-term radiation exposure.
Fuel to Mars
Dr. Tim Hammond will experimentally determine which of the thousands of mutants of the single-celled green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have the best long-term survival advantage during deep space travel.
Investigating the Roles of Melanin and DNA Repair on Adaptation and Survivability of Fungi in Deep Space
Dr. Clay Wang will use three mutants of the fungus Aspergillus niger; one unable to make melanin and two lacking complementary DNA repair pathways important for repair from DNA damage. He will test the relative contribution of these mechanisms to survival and biomass production during prolonged deep space flight. Following the return of live samples from the Artemis-1 flight, Dr. Wang will obtain offspring of these A. niger strains and assess their ability to respond to different stresses.
The Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate provides funding for these investigations.
XROOTS Hydroponic and Aeroponic Plant Growth Unit Launches to ISS
 The eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS) launched to the International Space Station aboard NG-17 on February 19. XROOTS is a plant growth system developed by Sierra Space that uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow crop plants without soil, making large scale plant production in space feasible.
XROOTS will be tested on the International Space Station to evaluate soilless nutrient delivery and recovery techniques over the course of plant growth in the microgravity environment of the space station.
Veggie will provide lighting and air exchange between the Veggie growing volume and the station cabin. Operations are planned to occur over the course of six months with individual tests lasting between 14 and 60 days.
XROOTS is designed to observe variables such as nutrient solution spray, flow, and ebb behavior in different capillary configurations and with different operating protocols. XROOTS uses still images and video to observe root development and the interaction of fluid with roots at different growth stages. Tests will be conducted with multiple crop species (radish, cabbage, peas, tomatoes, and carrots), some through the germination stage and others to full harvest stage.
The XROOTS Tech Demo is developed in partnership between NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division (BPS), NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems (AES), and Sierra Nevada Corporation.
Image: XROOTS hardware undergoing ground-based plant tests. Credit: Sierra Space.
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 Follow NASA Space Science on Twitter!
@NASASpaceSci
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 New Discoveries
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Identifying Biological Agents that Protect Tardigrades from Desiccation
 A new paper by Dr. Thomas Boothby of the University of Wyoming investigates the tardigrade Paramacrobiotus to study the occurrence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) associated with the desiccation process.
His team observed that ROS production significantly increases as a function of time spent in ‘suspended animation’ where there is a complete absence of water (known as anhydrobiosis) and represents a direct demonstration of oxidative stress in tardigrades.
The effects of bioprotective agents in the tardigrade were tested using a process called RNA interference. They measured the successful recovery of genetically ‘perturbed’ specimens after desiccation and rehydration. Through targeting of the glutathione peroxidase gene, they found evidence for its role in desiccation tolerance. Findings from this study indicate that desiccation tolerance depends on the synergistic action of many different molecules working together.
Along with using stress tolerance mechanisms to counteract the detrimental effects of space travel, findings from this experiment could help solve severe problems in the field of human health.
Image (from study paper): Paramacrobiotus spatialis specimens used in this study.
This research was funded by Space Biology grant 80NSSC20K0283 to Dr. Thomas Boothby of the University of Wyoming, "Using Water Bears to Identify Biological Countermeasures to Stress During Multigenerational Spaceflight". The article is available online here.
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Genomic Characterization of the First Novel Eukaryote isolated from the ISS: Naganishia tulchinskyi
 A novel yeast, Naganishia tulchinskyi, was isolated from the International Space Station environmental surfaces. Characterization of the N. tulchinskyi cells revealed that the cell wall is thicker under simulated microgravity conditions, which might help them withstand the stress of space. These simulated microgravity-grown cells also demonstrate a novel bud scar shedding trait.
Phylogenetic analyses showed that these are novel yeast. Further genomic characterization revealed genes responsible for cell morphogenesis and UVC resistance, reflecting a range of molecular mechanisms suited to respond to the spaceflight environment.
Members of the Cryptococcus species, from which Naganishia species have recently been separated, were reported to possess unique virulence factors associated with the pathogenesis. The transformation of normal Cryptococcus cells into giant (Titan) cells was one of the factors contributing to cryptococcosis (an inhalation acquired infection).
This research is part of the International Space Station Microbial Observatory (ISS-MO) studies that will deliver a database that compiles the genomic sequences and genetic information for all the microbes encountered within the space station habitat. Using this data, NASA can more accurately and confidently assess the status of microbes associated with closed habitation and crew health maintenance. In addition to providing microbial profiles, the ISS-MO team will identify which microbial taxa pose particular threats to crew health.
Image: Analyses of scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs of N. tulchinskyi cells demonstrated differences in conidia size, morphology, and daughter cell budding.
 This study was funded by NASA Space Biology grant 80NSSC19K1501 to Dr. Clay Wang of the University of Southern California to characterize the ISS Microorganisms that Assist in the decomposition of complex organic matter during spaceflight. Funding also came from NASA grant 19-12829-26 to Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
This article is available online here.
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 If you're on Facebook you can keep up with NASA Space Biology by following us there.
Find us at Facebook.com/spacebiology.
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 Events & Opportunities
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Lunar Biology Technical Exchange (LBTech)
April 20-21, 2022
Space Biology will be hosting a virtual workshop that will bring the biology community and hardware developers together to discuss how best to enable robust lunar research and ensure we thrive in deep space.
Check the website for more information. Registration link will be available soon.
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Come see us at the annual American Society for Microbiology meeting,
June 9 - 13, 2022 in Washington D.C.
Space Biology will host a symposium at the ASM Microbe meeting on the topic of
“Microbiology in Space: Moving beyond Low Earth Orbit to the Moon and Mars.”
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 Funding Resources for Prospective Researchers
Are you a researcher and wondering where you can find funding opportunities to enable your research to be flown to the orbiting laboratory? There are several sources of funding available to scientists to be used for research and development, payload development, payload processing at NASA facilities, on-orbit operation, and more. Visit this link for a guide to online funding information for space station research.
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Biospecimen Sharing Program
Share | Research | Discover
Rodent Research-18 (RR-18) Live Animal Return Biospecimen Sharing Program Dissections are Complete!
The RR-18 study, led by Dr. Vivien Mao from Loma Linda University, focuses on evaluating the mechanisms of response and remodeling in the eyes after exposure to space hazards. The mice were launched on SpaceX-24 in December 2021 and a subset of the mice returned to Earth on January 24, 2022. The Space Biology Biospecimen Sharing Program (BSP) dissections for the live animal return portion of the RR-18 experiment were successfully completed on February 7, 2022. The BSP Team collected approximately 390 vials of tissues not utilized by the RR-18 study and turned over the samples to the NASA Biological Institutional Scientific Collection (NBISC). The tissues will be available for request on the Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) biospecimen portal soon!
Additional tissues from the on-orbit and 6-month re-adaptation groups will be added after the culmination of the RR-18 experiment in Summer 2022.
Help NASA maximize the scientific return from biological spaceflight investigations and encourage broader participation of the research community in space biology-related research. Non-human biospecimens are dissected, collected, and preserved by the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) BSP team. The biospecimens are made available for request through NASA’s online Biospecimen Data Request form, which is managed by the Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA). Flight and ground control biospecimens are available from COSMOS, NASA’s space shuttle missions, and International Space Station (ISS) investigations.
For more information about available tissues, or to request tissues visit the Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) biospecimen portal for request by the science community.
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