AUTOMATED BIOREACTOR PLATFORM FOR IN-SPACE STEM CELL EXPANSION

Paper ID

103169

author

• Fathi Karouia

company

NASA Ames Research Center, Blue Marble Space Institute Of Science; BioServe Space Technologies, University of Colorado Boulder

country

United States

year

2025

abstract

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation has revolutionized the treatment of blood cancers, as well as other severe blood disorders and autoimmune diseases. Due to insufficient cell numbers, the limited supply of stem cells, especially from umbilical cord blood (UCB), poses significant challenges for adult patients. Expanding HSCs in a controlled environment offers a promising solution to increase stem cell availability, shorten engraftment times, and improve therapeutic outcomes for patients on Earth. In addition, exposure to the space flight environment creates numerous challenges for astronaut health and fitness. Conducting research in space on populations of human cells, spheroids, organoids or multi-organ systems may provide valuable data in the development of strategies and countermeasures to protect astronaut health during long-duration missions. Having a compact, efficient spaceflight cell production capability could enable a wide variety of research studies starting from small vials of cryopreserved cells. The BioServe In-space Cell Expansion Platform (BICEP) represents an innovative leap forward in enabling routine suspension cell culture and expansion. Leveraging the unique microgravity environment, BICEP enables clinical grade, large-scale stem cell expansion in low Earth orbit (LEO) or beyond. Within BICEP’s cell culture system (BioCell), cells remain suspended in a low-shear environment. This 3-dimensional, low-shear environment, mimics bone marrow spaces and is predicted to support the maintenance of stem cell multipotency and self-renewal capacity during cellular expansion. The patented BICEP hardware innovation, developed through extensive research, features a two-chamber system that maintains cells in customized growth media in a quiescent chamber that exchanges nutrients and wastes through a porous membrane into a second chamber in which media is perfused. This design includes non-invasive optical density and pH measurement capabilities. The BioCell and media supply are housed in a tray integrated within BioServe’s Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL), providing precise temperature and CO2 control. Cryopreserved cells are thawed and seeded into each BioCell, expanded over 4-10 days, and then harvested for cryopreservation on orbit and return to Earth. Additional expansion cycles with the same cells can be achieved. The first flight of BICEP was launched in August 2024. Hematopoietic Stem Cells from the umbilical cord of four donors were expanded through two full cycles. A second flight is scheduled for this summer, utilizing HSCs from UCB and mobilized peripheral blood donors for expansion. Preliminary results from these expansion trials will be presented, along with a detailed description of the BICEP design and concept of operations.