Tiny (less than 1 millimeter thick) heart-tissue structures, known as cardiac organoids took flight and traveled to the International Space Station on Monday, November 4, 2024.

Texas Tech Health El Paso faculty scientist Munmun Chattopadhyay, Ph.D., is part of a team of researchers collaborating in their Earth-bound labs to create the heart-tissue structures.

The International Space Station research project will examine microgravity’s effect on heart tissue and is designed to better understand how microgravity affects the function of the human heart.

The multi-year project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) program. The project is titled, “Collaboration on Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology on the International Space Station to Benefit Life on Earth.”

The “mini-heart” structures, use 3 different human cardiac cell lines for cardio-myocytes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells and 3D bioprinting technology.

Dr. Chattopadhyay is available for media interviews and we can provide photos for media outlets. 

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