Surface tension enables induced pluripotent stem cell culture in commercially available hardware during spaceflight.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has emerged as a unique environment for evaluating altered stem cell properties in microgravity. LEO has become increasingly accessible for research and development due to progress in private spaceflight. Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) was launched as the second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Establishing Neural Organoid Cultures for Investigating the Effects of Microgravity in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).

Recent findings from studies involving astronauts and animal models indicate that microgravity increases immune cell activity and potentially alters the white and gray matter of the central nervous system (CNS). To further investigate the impact of microgravity on CNS cells, we established cultures of three-dimensional neural organoids containing isogenic microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, and sent them onboard the International Space Station. When using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from individuals affected by neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease (PD), these cultures can provide novel insights into pathogenic pathways that may be exacerbated by microgravity.

In-Space Fabrication of Janus Base Nano-Matrix for Improved Assembly and Bioactivities.

In-space manufacturing of nanomaterials is a promising concept while having limited successful examples. DNA-inspired Janus base nanomaterials (JBNs), used for therapeutics delivery and tissue regeneration, are fabricated via a controlled self-assembly process in water at ambient temperature, making them highly suitable for in-space manufacturing. For the first time, we designed and accomplished the production of JBNs on orbit during the Axiom-2 (Ax-2) mission demonstrating great promising and benefits of in-space manufacturing of nanomaterials.

TREX1 is required for microglial cholesterol homeostasis and oligodendrocyte terminal differentiation in human neural assembloids.

Three Prime Repair Exonuclease 1 (TREX1) gene mutations have been associated with Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome (AGS) - a rare, severe pediatric autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the brain and has a poorly understood etiology. Microglia are brain-resident macrophages indispensable for brain development and implicated in multiple neuroinflammatory diseases. However, the role of TREX1 - a DNase that cleaves cytosolic nucleic acids, preventing viral- and autoimmune-related inflammatory responses - in microglia biology remains to be elucidated.