The National Science Foundation and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space have awarded $830,000 to the University of Florida, Micro-gRx, and Ronawk to launch an innovative tissue engineering experiment into space. The study will advance in-space, three-dimensional, cell culture processes and study the effects of microgravity on heart and skin vascular remodeling. The partners will work with Redwire Space Corporation to implement their experiment on the International Space Station, or ISS.
The research partners seek to translate bench science to in-space production and bring the benefits of space-based research back to Earth.
“The award marks a significant milestone in space biology for a small space company,” said Siobhan Malany, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacodynamics in the UF College of Pharmacy and founder of Micro-gRx, a biospace company based in Orlando.
This upcoming experiment will be Micro-gRx’s sixth mission to the ISS, further solidifying its role as a leader in supporting space-based biological research. The collaboration will leverage Ronawk’s Bio-Block technology combined with Maddalena Parafati’s expertise in space research and stem cell-derived cell signaling to explore new frontiers in tissue engineering in microgravity on the ISS.
“Our approach is to grow three-dimensional tissue, or organoids, from the heart and skin stem cells in Ronawk’s functionalized Bio-Blocks that mimic the cells’ natural environment,” said Parafati, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the UF College of Pharmacy and principal investigator of the study. “The ultimate goal of this study is to identify countermeasures that will not only protect astronauts in deep space but promise to improve vascular health on Earth.”
With a keen focus on innovation, Parafati and Ronawk plan to customize the Bio-Block to support the formation of blood vessel-like microchannels around the organoids to effectively simulate vascularization. The pioneering study will use these tissue surrogates as cell culture platforms to investigate the effects of microgravity and radiation on heart and skin vascular remodeling that may mimic what occurs in disease and aging. Additionally, the research will interrogate the quality and quantity of organoid-secreted particles called extracellular vesicles, or EVs, produced in space, which is likely to affect EVs cargo content for innovative regenerative nanomedicine. Cells release extracellular vesicles to communicate with other cells and send cues to form new blood vessels.
“This collaboration represents a convergence of technology and scientific inquiry that could lead to transformative advancements in biomedical research,” Malany said. “We are thrilled to continue our journey in space research with such esteemed partners.” The partners are targeting a space flight in 2026 to test the experiment in space.