{"id":17295,"date":"2023-05-19T00:15:02","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T16:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/allen-institute-takes-on-a-supporting-role-in-experiment-to-grow-stem-cells-in-space\/"},"modified":"2023-05-19T00:15:02","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T16:15:02","slug":"allen-institute-takes-on-a-supporting-role-in-experiment-to-grow-stem-cells-in-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/allen-institute-takes-on-a-supporting-role-in-experiment-to-grow-stem-cells-in-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Allen Institute takes on a supporting role in experiment to grow stem cells in space"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A live colony of human induced pluripotent stem cells fills the screen of a microscope. (Allen Institute Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Space: The final frontier \u2026 for stem cells? Seattle\u2019s Allen Institute for Cell Science says cells from its collection are going into space for the first time on a private mission to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

The Allen Cell Collection\u2019s assortment of human induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPSCs, will be the focus for one of more than 20 experiments being sent into orbit on a flight organized by Texas-based Axiom Space. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the Ax-2 mission \u2014 Axiom\u2019s second trip to the space station \u2014 and her crewmates will include Tennessee business executive John Shoffner as well as Saudi astronauts Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi.<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket will loft the crew into orbit in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for what\u2019s expected to be a weeklong stay on the station. Liftoff is set for Sunday at 5:37 p.m. ET (2:37 p.m. PT) at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The fare for each rider on last year\u2019s Ax-1 mission was around $55 million, and although the ticket price for Ax-2 hasn\u2019t been announced, it\u2019s probably in a similar range.<\/p>\n

The stem-cell study is part of a series of NASA-funded experiments led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. This experiment is expected to break new ground when it comes to growing IPSCs in space and modifying the cells\u2019 DNA for therapeutic purposes.<\/p>\n

Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to differentiate into almost any other kind of cell in the body, including heart cells and brain cells. Researchers have figured out how to reprogram ordinary cells \u2014 typically, skin cells \u2014 and induce them to become pluripotent stem cells. But there are still hurdles to overcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cA major challenge for using iPSCs for therapies in humans is making enough of them at very high quality,\u201d co-principal investigator Arun Sharma, a biologist in the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, said in a news release. \u201cWe want to be able to mass-produce them by the billions so that we can utilize them for a number of different applications, including discovering new drugs that may be able to improve heart function.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stem cell production techniques have been improving, but researchers say gravity-induced tension may make it difficult for masses of IPSCs to expand and grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cGravity constantly pulls these pluripotent stem cells toward Earth, putting pressure on them and providing a stimulus to start turning into other cell types, but in microgravity that effect will no longer be there,\u201d said Clive Svendsen executive director of the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and co-principal investigator for the experiment. \u201cWhen the stress of gravity is not there pulling on the cells, we want to test whether they grow faster, have fewer genetic changes and remain in the pluripotent state.\u201d<\/p>\n

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