2nd Space Launch of Cedars-Sinai Stem Cells Slated for Nov. 9
Cedars-Sinai Scientists Seek to Replicate Previous Missions to Produce Stem Cells in Low Gravity
WHAT
Cedars-Sinai and Space Tango are planning their second launch of pilot-scale systems for the automated in-space production of stem cells. The Nov. 9 launch builds on a successful mission in 2022 that harnessed the near-zero gravity conditions of spaceflight to spur creation of the next generation of stem cell and gene therapies.
On this mission, funded by a NASA Research Announcement award, investigators will test manufacturing systems for induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells. These cells generate many cell types populating the central nervous system. Investigators will compare cells’ growth rates on Earth and in space, and they also plan to bring back cells for gene analysis to determine the effects of space on these cells.
Microgravity has become of great interest to stem cell scientists due to unique properties it grants to biological tissues and processes that could potentially help mass-produce cells or other products in a way that is not possible to do on Earth.
WHEN
The launch to the International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-29 is currently scheduled for Thursday, November 9 at 8:28 p.m. ET.
Watch the launch live: NASA Live.
WHO
Clive Svendsen, PhD, executive director of the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and co-principal investigator on the mission.
Dhruv Sareen, PhD, executive director of the Cedars-Sinai Biomanufacturing Center and co-principal investigator on the mission.
MISSION DETAILS
Launch Location: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Launch Provider: SpaceX, contracted by NASA
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9
Capsule: Dragon
RELATED LINKS
- Cedars-Sinai Looks to Space for Tomorrow's Stem Cell Therapies
- Manufacturing Stem Cells in Space
- On-orbit Manufacturing
- Study of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) in Microgravity
Follow Cedars-Sinai on Twitter at @CedarsSinaiMed and scientists @dsareen and @CliveSvendsen to get live updates of the mission.