Nasa is sending diseased ‘living human organs’ on micro-chips up to the ISS to test sickness in space
NASA is firing “organs on chips” into space to help cure some of humanity’s deadliest diseases.
About 100 microchips containing live human cells that will mimic the function of our organs will be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) this week.
It’s part of a Nasa drive to better understand how spaceflight and microgravity affects our bodies.
As well as diseases here on Earth, the ISS experiment will shed light on how astronauts will fare on long space trips to Mars and beyond.
The tissue chips, or “organs on chips” as Nasa calls them, will fly to the orbiting space lab on Friday.
They were developed with partners including the US National Institute for Health (NIH).
“These are bioengineered, miniature devices that are about the size of, roughly, a USB key,” said Dr Lucie Low, a researcher at the NIH.
“They recreate the structure and function of human organs and tissues in a very lifelike manner.”
Launching atop an unmanned SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the chips should reach the ISS early next week.
They were originally due for launch on April 26, but a power issue at the station pushed the launch back to May 3.
Scientists are sending four types of chips to test different organs.
These include kidney chips, “blood-brain barrier” chips, lung host defence chips and a cartilage, bone and joint tissue chip.
They will test the effects of various diseases, as well as the ability of some cells to repair damage, in microgravity.
Dr Low said: “They’re essentially tools which can help us model different diseases.
They let us test the safety and efficacy of different drugs in a very realistic manner, without actually testing these drugs in humans and in animals.”
Investigators will have the chips back in their hands within about 40 days of their arrival at the ISS.
They’re also looking for insights into the impact long-term space travel has on the health of astronauts.
It’s thought that diseases like Alzheimer’s or osteoarthritis are accelerated when we spend too long in microgravity.
TOP STORIES IN SCIENCE
In other ISS news, it was recently found the space lab is infested with mysterious space bugs leaving astronauts at risk of “serious harm”.
A Russian cosmonaut recently claimed that a hole found in the ISS was drilled from inside the space station.
Astronauts on board the craft recently took this stunning picture of Britain.
Do you think organs on a chip are a good idea? Let us know in the comments!
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.