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Auxilium Biotechnologies | Principal Investigator: Jacob Koffler, Ph.D. MBA
The Biomanufacturing in Space of Drug-Delivery Medical Devices investigation aims to manufacture a medical device with drug delivery capabilities to enable loading different drugs into the device to enhance the device’s capability (e.g., loading drugs that can enhance vascularization to improve blood flow into the device). The devices are 3D-printed, and part of the project involves the adaptation of the 3D-printer to operate in microgravity. This is the first time a fast, high-resolution 3D-bioprinter, capable of printing functional human-size implants, is deployed to the ISS.
Why microgravity?
It is hypothesized that manufacturing this device in microgravity conditions aboard the International Space Station (ISS) can improve the overall performance of the device. The platform allows for single-micron resolution with a printing rate on the scale of minutes (rather than hours/days) to fabricate full-scale medical devices. The internal printing components and cartridge have been redesigned by Auxilium and Space Tango to enable automated printing in microgravity conditions while maintaining adequate containment of the bioink to ensure safe operations in space.
This experiment could lead to the development of a medical device that provides a viable alternative, avoiding the risks associated with surgery and facilitating nerve regeneration and recovery of function.
UC San Diego | Principal Investigator: Alysson Muotri Ph.D.
The Impact of Long Duration Spaceflight on the Brain investigation studies how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect human brain development, function, and aging using stem cell–derived cortical organoids. These three-dimensional, self-organizing tissues replicate key features of the human brain, making them a powerful model for neurological development and disease.
Organoids are launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Space Tango’s automated CubeLab system within the Powered Ascent Utility Locker (PAUL). The CubeLab autonomously sustains the cultures for a 90-day mission, including scheduled media changes, while a parallel unit on Earth serves as ground control.
Why microgravity?
Spaceflight accelerates certain aspects of aging in neuronal tissues. Studying brain organoids under these conditions may reveal molecular signatures linked to neurodegeneration, providing insight into diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
This investigation could advance understanding of how long-duration missions impact the brain while opening new pathways for earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments for neurodegenerative disorders on Earth.
Sanford Stem Cell Institute, UC San Diego | Principal Investigator: Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D.
The Space Tango-Hematopoietic Stem Cells investigation builds on the Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) project to study how hematopoietic stem cells—responsible for generating blood cells—respond to the stressors of long-duration spaceflight. Using fluorescent nanoluc-GFP reporters, this study continuously monitors stem cell responses to inflammatory mediators, providing insight into immune dysfunction, repair capacity, and the processes driving transformation into leukemia stem cells.
The investigation is launched to the International Space Station (ISS) inside Space Tango’s automated 9U CubeLab housed in the Powered Ascent Utility Locker (PAUL). The CubeLab maintains stromal co-culture viability for the four-month mission, enabling real-time quantification of immune-related changes. A parallel CubeLab remains on Earth as ground control.
Why microgravity?
Spaceflight induces stressors—such as genomic instability, telomere length changes, and inflammatory signaling—that accelerate aging and may promote pre-cancerous transformation in stem cells. Studying these effects in microgravity can clarify how blood stem cells maintain function under stress and how they become cancerous.
This investigation could help reveal mechanisms that drive stem cell exhaustion, immune dysfunction, and leukemia initiation, supporting the development of new strategies to predict, prevent, and treat blood cancers and related diseases on Earth.
Higher Orbits | Student-Led Investigation; Principal Investigator: Michelle Lucas
The HIOR_EDU06 investigation consists of four student-designed experiments studying how microgravity impacts algae, slime mold, mealworms, and legumes. This project is led by Higher Orbits, a nonprofit organization that uses the excitement of space exploration to promote STEM education through its Go For Launch! camps. These programs empower students to design real experiments that are later flown to the International Space Station (ISS), fostering hands-on learning and inspiring future innovators.
The experiments are housed in Space Tango’s automated 9U CubeLab and installed into the TangoLab facility aboard the ISS. They remain active for 30 days during the SpaceX CRS-33 mission, with the overall mission lasting four months.
Why microgravity?
Microgravity provides a unique environment to study how living systems adapt outside of Earth’s gravity. Algae may reveal mechanisms for biofuel production, slime mold can shed light on spatial perception, mealworms offer insight into insect development for food and material uses, and legumes can inform strategies for nitrogen fixation in space agriculture.
This student-led investigation could advance approaches to space-based life support, agriculture, and sustainable energy while offering Earth applications such as improved biofuel production, new insecticide targets, and enhanced nitrogen-fixing strategies for crops.