In preparation for the launch, lab-grown human muscle cells, the size of grains of rice, have been put into small 3D-printed holders. Once in orbit, they will be electrically stimulated to induce contractions in the muscle tissue while being observed.
On the ISS, the muscle cells will not experience the effects of gravity; spending extended periods of time in microgravity causes astronauts’ muscles to weaken, as they do with ageing, before recovering on return to Earth. University of Liverpool researchers, funded with £1.2m from the UK Space Agency, will investigate what happens to muscle tissue in space and compare this with the effects of natural ageing. Knowledge gleaned from the study will help solve the puzzle of why muscles lose mass and strength with age, and hopefully develop ways to counteract the process.
“Ageing is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century and we will learn a great deal about how muscle responds to microgravity and...