— Tiny (less than 1 millimeter thick) heart-tissue structures, known as cardiac organoids took flight and traveled to the International Space Station on Monday, November 4, 2024.
Texas Tech Health El Paso faculty scientist Munmun Chattopadhyay, Ph.D., is part of a team of researchers collaborating in their Earth-bound labs to create the heart-tissue structures.
The International Space Station research project will examine microgravity’s effect on heart tissue and is designed to better understand how microgravity affects the function of the human heart.
The multi-year project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) program. The project is titled, “ISS/Collaborative Research: Studying the Effects of Microgravity on 3D Cardiac Organoid Cultures.”
The “mini-heart” structures, use 3 different human cardiac cell lines for cardio-myocytes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells and 3D bioprinting technology.
Dr. Chattopadhyay is available for media interviews.
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![: ICYMI: Artificial “Mini-Hearts” Take Flight to the International Space Station](/legacy/image.php?image=%2Fimages%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F11%2F05%2F672a60e442d4f_chattopadhyay-munmum-wc.jpg)
Credit: Texas Tech Health El Paso
Caption: Texas Tech Health El Paso faculty scientist Munmun Chattopadhyay, Ph.D.
![: ICYMI: Artificial “Mini-Hearts” Take Flight to the International Space Station](/legacy/image.php?image=%2Fimages%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F11%2F08%2F672e35e34502c_GettingreadywithTeammemberVikramThakur.jpg)
Credit: Texas Tech Health El Paso
Caption: Getting ready (still on Earth) with Team member Vikram Thakur.
![: ICYMI: Artificial “Mini-Hearts” Take Flight to the International Space Station](/legacy/image.php?image=%2Fimages%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F11%2F08%2F672e360227c23_STSpX31-2.jpg)
Credit: photo courtesy of Space Tango
Caption: preparation for final loading of heart cells
![: ICYMI: Artificial “Mini-Hearts” Take Flight to the International Space Station](/legacy/image.php?image=%2Fimages%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F11%2F08%2F672e35e9c514d_STSpX31-3.jpg)
Credit: photo courtesy of Space Tango
Caption: Cubelab with "mini hearts" ready to be transported to ISS
![: ICYMI: Artificial “Mini-Hearts” Take Flight to the International Space Station](/legacy/image.php?image=%2Fimages%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F11%2F08%2F672e35f910c7b_STSpX31-5.jpg)
Credit: photo courtesy of Space Tango
Caption: Staff member of Space Tango at KSC, examines the heart cells.