The National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF) received a grant of $3.1 million from NASA for three new missions to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2027 and ground research. The funding is supplemented with $300,000 from the state of Kentucky. The project has been recognized as a priority by NASA due to its potential to improve quality of life, strengthen US technological leadership, and create jobs.
Since 2019, NSCF has conducted six missions to the ISS delivering three-dimensional organoids — miniature brain models made from cells of patients with Parkinson's disease and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. In upcoming expeditions from 2025 to 2027, Alzheimer's disease modeling organoids will be added.
"Microgravity conditions allow for faster identification of disease biomarkers and testing therapies that would require decades on Earth," said Dr. Jeanne Loring, NSCF senior scientific advisor. A patent for the method of long-term cultivation of organoids in space is already being processed.
The goal of the project, according to NSCF CEO Dr. Pauley Grisanti, is to create universal disease models for pharmaceutical companies and research centers. Organoids made from cells of patients with genetic mutations will accelerate the development of personalized drugs and diagnostic tools.
The next step will be transferring organoid models to industrial and academic partners for testing experimental treatment methods, including gene therapy and targeted drugs. Previously, NSCF was a major winner in NASA's InSPA (In Space Production Applications) program aimed at supporting projects that combine commercial and scientific significance.