Current Biotechnology - Volume 2, Issue 3, 2013

Space exploration encounters numerous hurdles partially because of the need to adapt technologies originally designed for earth applications. The integration of space conditions and weightlessness provides opportunities for the development of new technologies and the adaptation of existing but space-friendly approaches for physical and biological processes. Improvements of Solid Phase Gene Extraction (SPGE) provide ideal Read More

The last decade has seen an impressive expansion of our understanding of the role of osteocytes in skeletal homeostasis. These amazing cells, deeply embedded into the mineralized matrix, are the key regulators of bone homeostasis and skeletal mechano-sensation and transduction. They are the cells that can sense mechanical forces applied to the bone and then translate these forces into biological responses. They are al Read More

Spaceflight presents many challenges and opportunities for understanding human physiology and for administering healthcare in a harsh, remote and resource-limited environment. Technologies and countermeasures developed for space must be portable, minimize invasiveness, and be easy to use and maintain. Medical devices must also be robust and preferably require low power and consumables. Solutions meeting these s Read More

Scientists and technicians have been innovative to develop experimental platforms in order to achieve functional weightless conditions in their Earth-bound laboratories. As a result, various experimental platforms are available in order to perform studies with molecules or single cells up to humans and to study gravity-related mechanisms. These ground-based simulators of microgravity are not only tools to prepare spacefli Read More

The BIOLAB is a multi-user facility of the European Space Agency ESA, accommodated in the European COLUMBUS Module of the International Space Station. The BIOLAB flight facility enables biological and biomedical experiments investigating the effects of weightlessness and/or space radiation on microorganisms, cell cultures of various origins, lower organisms and small plants and animals. The proposals for Life Scien Read More

The great variety of possible configurations of Biological Life Support Systems (BLSS) and regimes for their operation necessitates a “top-down” approach to BLSS development and design. This top-down approach cannot be effectively performed without the criterion of LSS efficiency. In the paper, different criteria for comparing LSS and selecting the most appropriate one are discussed. The most general criterion of success Read More

Presented work focuses on the response of osteogenic, osteoblastic and mesenchymal stem cells to real and simulated microgravity. Mesenchymal stem cells are the residents of adult bone marrow stroma. These cells are capable of differentiating towards osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic lineages. The advantage of using MSCs in space-related research is that these cells are relevant tool to develop bone tissu Read More

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an eukaryotic model organism that has been used for space biology research. Microgravity is a tool to study yeast mechanobiology by removing the gravitational force on the cells. Yeast cells possess mechanosensors that can sense mechanical forces. The cells transduce a mechanical stimulus into a specific cellular response by activating intracellular signaling pathways that can ultimately lead t Read More

The cultivation of plants in space and on the Moon and Mars implies exposure to physical factors that are different from Earth: radiation, gravity levels and magnetic fields. As part of the MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) project where higher plants represent one of the compartments of an enclosed life support system, literature has been reviewed to assemble the relevant knowledge within space pl Read More

The International Space Station (ISS) offers remarkable opportunities for scientists to carry out experiments. However, the schedule for astronauts on board is tight, leaving not much time for science. This is one reason why the currently developed space hardwares such as cell culture systems and bioreactors have to demonstrate high levels of automation that save precious crew time. Life-science hardware for space applicatio Read More

The number of astronauts involved in long-lasting missions is expected to increase in the future, increasing the chances of injury due to traumatic events or unexpected emergency surgery. In addition, in future space exploration missions, medical evacuation times to earth could become very long. Therefore, tissue repair in weightlessness has become an important topic of study. Wound healing is an intricate process, which is Read More

A technical improvement enabling efficient and reproducible stem cell cultures is one of the most important aspects in stem cell research and cell-based therapy. For this purpose, researchers have used various cytokine cocktails and gene transfection techniques to proliferate stem cells. However, stem cell fate can reportedly be determined by physical stimuli such as gravity, electrical fields, and magnetic fields. In this re Read More

Muscle atrophy is a serious concern during space flight and has been observed in vertebrates in previous space flight experiments. In the present study, proteomic analysis was performed to assess changes in protein expression due to space flight in the model species Caenorhabditis elegans. Approximately 100 proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry following two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, revealing t Read More