The National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF), a leading funder of space-based research on brain cells to fight neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s, progressive MS, and Alzheimer’s, announced a $3.1 million award from NASA to continue its breakthrough studies on brain cell behavior in microgravity. The team’s patent-pending method for the long-duration in-space culturing of organoids (tiny 3D replicas of an organ that mimic cell behavior) has already been widely adopted by the space community.
The NASA award will fund additional ground research and another three missions to the International Space Station (ISS) through 2027. The Commonwealth of Kentucky, with a growing presence in the rapidly expanding space economy, is providing a 10% match for the NASA award valued at $300,000.
NSCF has conducted six missions on the ISS since 2019, sending 3D organoid models of the human brain to the orbiting laboratory. Organoids for the first six flights have been made from the cells of people with Parkinson’s disease and primary progressive MS. The next flights will also include organoids made from the cells of people with Alzheimer’s. Findings from the research have been recently published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
In the last round of highly competitive In Space Production Application (InSPA) awards, NSCF was NASA’s first and top priority selection for alignment with NASA strategic goals of developing applications that will significantly improve the quality of life for people on Earth, strengthen US technological leadership, and create high-quality jobs. These missions continue our commercial development partnership with Axiom Space, the leading provider of human spaceflight services, operating end-to-end missions to the ISS while developing its successor, Axiom Station.
Modeling Diseases in Space
The ability to observe cell interactions in a way not possible on Earth is opening the door to new cell, drug, and gene therapies for neurodegenerative diseases that affect tens of millions worldwide.
“We’re looking for new treatments and curative therapies for Parkinson’s, MS, Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases leveraging the accelerated environment of microgravity,” says Dr. Paula Grisanti, CEO of NSCF. “Solving the puzzle of these diseases will have a knock-on effect for these and other neurodegenerative diseases that include ALS and a number of rare childhood disorders.
The WHO estimates that over 65 million people worldwide suffer from neurodegenerative diseases, including various forms of dementia (Alzheimer’s being the most common form), Parkinson’s disease and MS. The cost of care for PD, MS, and AD in the US is expected to reach well over $2 trillion in the next two decades and increase steadily as the population ages.
According to a report from Alzheimer's Disease International, the number of people living with dementia alone is expected to double every 20 years, reaching 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050.
“When we began this mission, we had no idea what was going to happen,” recalls Dr. Jeanne Loring, NSCF’s Senior Scientific Advisor and founder of the Center of Regenerative Medicine at Scripps Research. A key learning was that microgravity accelerated cell development, providing insights to help identify and develop therapeutic interventions more rapidly.
NSCF researchers can make brain organoids from anyone, including people who have mutations for these diseases. The ultimate goal is to provide flight-proven, validated models of these diseases to industry, academic institutions, and foundations for the accelerated development of new diagnostics and novel treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. These models can also help NASA develop countermeasures for the effects of space flight on astronauts participating in long-duration missions.