MICROSCOPY & IMAGING
A Zeiss Axio Observer microscope was used
Scott Olenych reveals how a UCLA researcher studied neural stem cells on the International Space Station
understanding of how neural stem cells grow and develop in microgravity. T at understanding is key to discovering more about the serious issues of intracranial hypertension aff ecting astronauts returning from space. T e information may also one day be used to further cell replacement therapies for people with neurological disorders or neurological diseases. She and her research team needed access to dedicated microscopy equipment to conduct time sensitive 72-hour time lapse to capture images on proliferation and migration as cells re-adapted to terrestrial gravity as part of the study. T ey turned to Zeiss for a one-month loan of equipment, which was used to process samples fl own on the International Space Station during SpaceX CRS-16.
W
UNIQUE STUDY INVESTIGATES CELLS IN MICROGRAVITY Espinosa-Jeff rey, a research neurobiologist at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour at UCLA, has had a longstanding interest in making more neural stem cells faster. Her initial interest was for their use in transplantation research. She had conducted experiments
hen UCLA’s Dr Araceli Espinosa-Jeff rey sent human brain cells into space, her goal was to gain a better
STEM CELLS IN SPACE
that observed a faster rate of cell growth in simulated microgravity (simµG) compared to that seen under standard Earth gravity conditions. Believing that studies using
microgravity will increase understanding of the brain in health and disease – in particular, to the discovery of new molecules and mechanisms impossible to unveil while in 1G – she sought and obtained funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to place an experiment using human brain cells aboard the International Space Station. T e experiment to test whether
cell proliferation is increased in actual microgravity was managed by NASA’s Ames Research Centre Space Biosciences Division. Originally scheduled for fl ight in SpaceX CRS-14, it was delayed to SpaceX CRS-16, a commercial resupply service mission to the International Space Station. T e goal was to confi rm and expand the results from the sim-µG microgravity experiments and learn more about cells in space microgravity, including the eff ects on diff erent cell types. NASA’s particular interest in funding
the research was spurred by its desire to learn more about the role increased division of these cells in space may play in the intracranial hypertension
(pressure inside the skull) observed during human spacefl ight, which often does not normalise upon return to Earth. T is type of intracranial pressure can cause vision problems, headaches, glaucoma and other serious health problems, making it a signifi cant obstacle to long-duration space exploration missions. NASA is hoping a better understanding of how central nervous system stem cells divide in microgravity could help lead to ways to protect astronauts from problems with intracranial pressure and design adequate preventive measures. T e work was also designed to
investigate the eff ects of microgravity on the secretome of stem cells, which includes proteins important for cell- cell communication, function, and diff erentiation. T e knowledge gained from the experiment will contribute to a better understanding of how stem cell growth is aff ected by gravity at the molecular level and may help advance neural stem cell technologies that might be used in wound healing, tissue regrowth, and organ culture.
When the cell types used in this study
were cultured in sim-µG on the ground, they divided faster than cells cultured under normal gravity conditions. Studying the reasons why, and the mechanisms causing these cells to divide faster in
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