Credit: UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute
Microgravity enables opportunities for novel research as it produces changes in physical phenomena and biological systems that are not achievable on Earth. Research partnerships with Axiom Space allow researchers to access microgravity for fundamental and applied research, which helps build a foundation for ongoing research programs in low-Earth orbit (LEO) that can benefit human health and a variety of industries on Earth.
As for previous missions, Axiom Space has partnered with a diverse range of leading scientific organizations and institutions to continue monitoring the effects of spaceflight on the human body and explore opportunities for applied research in space that will help develop new medical treatments on Earth.
Continuing on from Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), biological investigations are again a strong focus for Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3). In partnership with Axiom Space, researchers from the National Stem Cell Foundation and the Sanford Stem Cell Institute aim to investigate how microgravity affects stem cell development by gathering data that will inform on the development of certain cancers and neurological disorders. Axiom Space’s ongoing partnership with the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) continues to explore how spaceflight affects the human body, with results expected to benefit all future space travelers by informing the development of medical countermeasures or treatments to keep humans safe and healthy as we continue to explore life off Earth.
Axiom Space Research Partnerships on Ax-3:
National Stem Cell Foundation
In the Cosmic Brain Organoids project, Axiom Space is partnering with the National Stem Cell Foundation to investigate the effects of microgravity on neural stem cells. The goal of the research is to assess how microgravity affects the cells and identify novel cellular pathways that offer opportunities for development of new therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative diseases on Earth. The project will generate brain organoids (small 3D aggregates of neural cells) using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with Parkinson's Disease and primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. These organoids can be used to explore how the human nervous system develops or starts to degenerate.
Sanford Stem Cell Institute
In an ongoing partnership with Axiom Space, the Cancer in LEO project from the Sanford Stem Cell Institute is studying tumor organoids in microgravity with the aim of identifying the early warning signs of cancer for prediction and prevention of the disease. This project is part of the expanded Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) collaboration between the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, JM Foundation, and Axiom Space, which aims to use microgravity to further understand stem cells, cancer, and aging-related effects in space to develop better prediction of disease and therapeutics for patients on Earth.
Credit: TRISH | TRISH Senior biomedical engineer Jimmy Wu (left) and TRISH chief medical officer Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta (right) administer a field test conducted before and after spaceflight to test a spaceflight participants' ability to readapt after the experiencing microgravity. This project is part of TRISH's essential measures.
Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) Essential Measures
Following research conducted on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) and Ax-2, Axiom Space continues to work with TRISH to gather data on how spaceflight affects the human body by using biometric monitors to give readouts on physiological systems, completing questionnaires that assess cognitive and behavioral performance, and performing tasks that measure balance and space motion sickness. This portfolio of projects helps us further understand how humans adapt to space, specifically in the context of commercial spaceflight participants. Results can also help inform Earth-based research into eye or movement disorders and the cognitive and emotional impacts of isolated, confined, or stressful environments.