From sounding rockets to the ISS
Elena’s space journey took off at SSC’s Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, one of the few places in the world where scientists can send their research into space. Since the 60’s, more than 600 research rockets, so called sounding rockets, have been launched from the base. In 2019, her research was launched onboard SSC’s sounding rocket Suborbital Express-1.
“This spaceflight revealed that cells exposed to microgravity proliferated much faster in space compared to Earth based control cells. This was an unexpected and interesting result. At the same time, the cells from space showed increased flexibility for differentiation, suggesting that space conditions could enhance the potential of stem cells for medical applications,” says Elena Kozlova.
These new extraterrestrial insights paved the way for a follow-up flight in November 2022. Onboard the Suborbital Express-3 rocket, together with eleven other scientific experiments, Elena’s research floated in microgravity for a total of six minutes at an altitude of 256 kilometers. However, the most interesting findings would take longer to show…
“Using a larger research module with special hardware, we compared the effects of microgravity and 1G conditions on human beta cell lines and pancreatic islets from mice, both in free form and 3D printed versions. The results showed that the beta cells had improved mitochondrial function after one week, and beta cells proliferated in 3D printed scaffolds two weeks after landing, indicating a delayed positive effect from microgravity,” says Elena Kozlova.
The delayed effects shown after the flight prompted a redesign of the research module to further study the prolonged effects of microgravity. And just a few months later, Sweden’s third astronaut Marcus Wandt took this experiment with him to the International Space Station (ISS), allowing for a longer stay in space with a total of 17 days in orbit.
Long-term protection for diabetic patients
At Uppsala University, Elena’s research continues. Boosted by space, the project now enters a new phase, potentially aiding the creation of a kind of vaccine that gives diabetic patients longer-lasting protection instead of daily insulin injections.
“Our journey to the International Space Station (ISS) marked a significant milestone in our research. Following prolonged exposure to microgravity, we observed only slowly proliferating cells. However, these cells exhibited distinct metabolic profiles and demonstrated remarkable survival and proliferation capacities within 3D-printed environments aboard the ISS, especially when compared to ground-based controls. These findings may contribute to the advancement of standardized 3D bioprinting technologies for organ replacement – offering potential benefits for both patients on Earth and astronauts in space,” says Elena Kozlova.
The birth of planets
While biology research remains a highly interesting field of research in space, many other applications may benefit from experiments in microgravity. On the same rocket as Elena’s stem cell research was also a cosmological experiment called CHIP (Charges in Planet Formation). The project seeks new insights into how planets form from clouds of gas and dust – ultimately looking for answers to our biggest question: Where do we come from?
“It’s not yet fully understood how planets are formed. By investigating how electrically charged particles behave on their way to space and during a couple of minutes in microgravity, we learned that they bind together in lumps of about three centimeters. Even though it takes millions of years for dust grains to become a planet, the cosmic journey begins with a cloud of gas and dust,” says Jens Teiser, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
Aussie microbes to fight mental illness
Onboard the Suborbital Express-3 rocket was also the Australian project ADI-ALFA, which investigated morphological changes on microbial species in microgravity. While launch and re-entry affected some of the microbial species, others displayed no ill effects.
“For microbial behavior, this research may reduce standard decade-long research to a mere few years. This could benefit further research into neuroimmunology, gastrointestinal tract health, genetic variability, fertility, antimicrobial resistance, anti-radiation studies and gut brain axis – ultimately giving new insights on the gastrointestinal tract and investigations to fight mental illness,” says Tiffany Sharp, CEO of Cambrian Defence & Space.
With these new insights, the team is now ready to carry out more tests during longer duration microgravity missions – potentially onboard satellites and space stations – to take this important research even further.
“Experimenting in microgravity offers us an accelerated investigation opportunity to create insights not possible on Earth, cutting both expense and time while preparing for longer duration space flights. It would be a dream to continue our research onboard the ISS,” ends Tiffany Sharp.
Unlimited possibilities in space
More and more researchers from a wider range of scientific disciplines are now finding an interest in the “clean” environment in space. The journey often begins with an application to the European Space Agency (ESA), where scientific experts select the “winning” contributions making their way to Sweden and Esrange Space Center.
“We’ve had many international experiments over the years, and of very different nature. What most of them have in common is that they seek answers to questions that may ultimately support the development of modern society. And the interest from the research community continues to grow exponentially,” says Krister Sjölander, President of the Science Services division of SSC.
