Cell cultivation under different gravitational loads using a novel random positioning incubator.

Important in biotechnology is the establishment of cell culture methods that reflect the in vivo situation accurately. One approach for reaching this goal is through 3D cell cultivation that mimics tissue or organ structures and functions. We present here a newly designed and constructed random positioning incubator (RPI) that enables 3D cell culture in simulated microgravity (0 g).

The effect of spaceflight on growth of Ulocladium chartarum colonies on the international space station.

The objectives of this 14 days experiment were to investigate the effect of spaceflight on the growth of Ulocladium chartarum, to study the viability of the aerial and submerged mycelium and to put in evidence changes at the cellular level. U. chartarum was chosen for the spaceflight experiment because it is well known to be involved in biodeterioration of organic and inorganic substrates covered with organic deposits and expected to be a possible contaminant in Spaceships.

The Rel/NF-κB pathway and transcription of immediate early genes in T cell activation are inhibited by microgravity.

This study tested the hypothesis that transcription of immediate early genes is inhibited in T cells activated in μg. Immunosuppression during spaceflight is a major barrier to safe, long-term human space habitation and travel. The goals of these experiments were to prove that μg was the cause of impaired T cell activation during spaceflight, as well as understand the mechanisms controlling early T cell activation.

Space Biology Group: basic research, biotechnology, tissue engineering, and instrument development.

At the beginning of space flight, the investigations were oriented essentially toward the health of the astronauts. But in the last three decades space biology has evolved from "try-and-see" experiments to sophisticated basic and applied research with well-based hypotheses as well as studies on the use of low gravity in biological applications. In 1977 the Space Biology Group of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, began its activities in space research.

Space bioreactors and their applications.

Space biology is a young and rapidly developing discipline comprising basic research and biotechnology. With the prospect of longer space missions and the construction of the International Space Station several aspects of biotechnology will play a prominent role in space. In fact, biotechnological processes allowing the recycling of vital elements, such as oxygen or water, and the in-flight production of food becomes essential when considering the financial and logistic standpoint.