Microgravity Studies of Cells and Tissues: from Mir to ISS

摘要

In vitro studies of cells and tissues in microgravity, either simulated by cultivation conditions on earth or reduced by spaceflight, are essential for the identification of mechanisms underlying gravity sensing and transduction in biological organisms. In this paper, we review rotating bioreactor studies of engineered skeletal and cardiovascular tissues carried out in unit gravity, a Shuttle-Mir study of cartilage tissue engineering, and the ongoing development and testing of a Cell Culture Unit for cell and tissue cultivation aboard the ISS.