Unlocking space biology: A novel microgravity bioreactor for on-orbit research
This groundbreaking research reveals how a new microgravity bioreactor could revolutionise experiments in space.
As humanity sets its sights on long-duration space missions to destinations like Mars and the Moon, a fundamental challenge emerges: understanding how biological systems respond to the harsh, alien environment of space. Our ability to establish sustainable lunar bases, successfully send astronauts to Mars, and even explore beyond depends critically on deciphering these biological shifts.
Currently, much of our space biology research relies on indirect or limited methods. There’s a pressing need for in-situ, real-time investigation to truly understand how life adapts, or struggles, off-world.
Space environment challenges
Microgravity – or more accurately, weightlessness – is the condition in which the effects of gravity are greatly reduced. This occurs when an object is in continuous free fall, such as during orbital flight or in open space. This profound absence of the constant gravitational pull we experience on Earth has far-reaching and often detrimental effects on biological systems. At the cellular level, microgravity influences fundamental processes such as gene expression, cell differentiation, and intercellular communication.
On the other hand, the effect of radiation on living cells in space is a paramount concern for human space exploration, especially as missions extend beyond Earth’s protective magnetosphere towards the Moon and Mars. Unlike terrestrial radiation, space radiation consists of highly energetic particles, primarily Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) and Solar Particle Events (SPEs), which can penetrate spacecraft shielding and living tissues. These types of ionising radiation cause damage at the molecular level, most critically to DNA. This damage can lead to harmful biological effects, including:
ALCYONE technology: A space-ready bioreactor
Traditional ground-based simulations often introduce undesirable stress on biological samples and can only approximate a real space condition, not even a complete one. Furthermore, it is currently not possible to recreate on the ground the complex radiation environment encountered in space. It is precisely this ‘gap’ between terrestrial simulations and real space conditions that our microgravity bioreactor aims to bridge. By being designed for in-situ operation directly in space, our bioreactor provides a sustained and genuine microgravity and radiation environment for biological samples, free from the misleading factors of shear stress, partial gravity effects, and the need for constant reorientation inherent in ground-based systems.
On the contrary, direct access to the space environment allows for unprecedented opportunities to observe, manipulate and understand biological processes as they truly unfold off-world, offering a more accurate and reliable platform for cutting-edge space biology research.
Bioluminescent cells and smart sensors
Another core aspect of the ALCYONE project is the use of bioluminescence as an analytical approach for monitoring the status of cell cultures. To this aim, the teams of the Department of Chemistry (Giacomo Ciamician) of the University of Bologna and the Department of Biology of the University of Rome (Tor Vergata) genetically modified prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to equip them with luciferase-based reporter systems to track specific stress responses.
Crucially, bioluminescence-based sensing is integrated directly into the microfluidic chip for continuous, real-time monitoring of cell metabolic activity. The same a-Si:H thin-film technology, available at Sapienza University, is used to fabricate the photosensors that are used to monitor the analytical signal that correlates with the stress conditions of the biological sample. This non-invasive optical method provides vital insights into cellular responses to microgravity and radiation without disrupting the experiment.
Radiation monitoring: A CubeSat-sized breakthrough
As a final key element of the ALCYONE project, an innovative radiation monitoring system based on CERN’s TimePix device, coupled to a novel high-sensitivity sensor technology, has been developed by the team of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology to study the radiation environment to correlate with biological results. The team did a great job designing such an advanced object within the constraints and limitations of a CubeSat payload.
From design to validation
Before any physical build, the design underwent extensive ground-based validation through simulation testing. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was critical in optimising the internal fluid flow dynamics within the microfluidic channels, ensuring uniform nutrient delivery and waste removal within the microgravity environment, and minimising undesirable shear forces.
Simultaneously, structural analysis simulations rigorously tested the bioreactor’s resilience to the extreme forces of launch and the vacuum of space, verifying its structural integrity under worst-case scenarios and considering the high radiation environment.
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