NASA is planning to send small devices containing human cells in a 3D matrix — known as tissue chips or organs-on-chips — to the International Space Station (ISS) to test how they respond to stress, drugs and genetic changes.
Made of flexible plastic, tissue chips have ports and channels to provide nutrients and oxygen to the cells inside them.
The “Tissue Chips in Space” initiative seeks to better understand the role of microgravity on human health, NASA said. “We expect tissue chips in space to behave much like an astronaut’s body, experiencing the same kind of rapid change,” said Liz Warren, a scientist at NASA.
