According to the news of the South China Morning Post, Chinese astronauts announced that they have successfully grown stem cells in space, which they say is the first of its kind. If confirmed, the experiment could have implications in areas ranging from stem cell research to regenerative medicine and the impact of space travel on the human cell.China grows blood cells in space
Human pluripotent stem cells, embryonic cells capable of transforming into any parental human cell, were launched into orbit last month, the Hong Kong-based newspaper reported. Astronauts took these cells to Tiangong, China’s space station launched two years ago. For about two weeks, the scientists cultured/cultivated the cells in a section of the station dedicated to advanced life sciences experiments. On Sunday, the grown stem cells were returned to Earth for further analysis.
“We achieved the first goal of our experiment, which was to produce human blood stem cells in space. While in orbit, the stem cells were in good condition and the data collected was clear and in line with our expectations,” Lei Xiaohua, chief scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reportedly told state channel. said.China is not the only country sending stem cells into space
Last month, researchers at Cedar-Sinai sent stem cells to the International Space Station to see if they could grow large quantities of stem cells in microgravity. Space seems like a great environment to grow stem cells because it allows three-dimensional growth, just like in the human body, compared to culturing cells in a typical Earth-based laboratory. Axiom Space and its crew of space tourists helped the researchers transport the precious cargo to the station.
The Cedar-Sinai experiment aims to examine the effect of microgravity and space-related factors such as radiation on stem cells, as well as to see if they can produce positive findings for future stem cell-based therapies.
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