Stem cells sent to space for groundbreaking experiment

BEVERLY GROVE: In a historic first, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is conducting an experiment to fully produce stem cells in space, leveraging the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, launched on Aug. 4 by Houston-based Axiom Space Corp., marks Cedars-Sinai’s fourth stem cell-related journey to the ISS and its most ambitious yet.
Funded by a $1.5 million NASA grant, the experiment explores whether microgravity can overcome challenges in growing induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs)—reprogrammed adult cells capable of developing into various cell types. These cells are vital for disease research and potential treatments, but producing them in large quantities on Earth has proven difficult.
“What if microgravity makes IPSCs grow more efficiently? And what if space-grown cells possess unique characteristics?” said Dr. Clive Svendsen, executive director of Cedars-Sinai's Regenerative Medicine Institute. “This mission could redefine how we produce stem cells in the future.”
Astronauts aboard the ISS have been reprogramming cells supplied by the Allen Institute for Cell Science and monitoring their progress using imaging systems that relay data back to Earth. Preserved cell samples are set to return to Earth in November for quality testing, with plans to develop them into brain and heart cells in a follow-up mission next year.
If successful, this pioneering work could lay the foundation for large-scale stem cell production in space, transforming regenerative medicine.