Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support Systems (CBOSS), Seven Investigations
Research Area: Cellular Biology
Expedition(s): 3 and 4, 7 and 8, 10, 12 and 13
Principal Investigator(s): ● Timothy G. Hammond, MD, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical
Center, Durham, North Carolina
● John Milburn Jessup, MD, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda,
DC
● Jeanne L. Becker, PhD, National Space Biomedical Research
Institute, Houston, Texas
● Peter I. Lelkes, PhD, Drexel University, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
● Arthur J. Sytkowski, PhD, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center, Boston, Massachusets
● Joshua Zimmerberg, PhD, National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, Maryland
● Joshua Zimmerberg, PhD, National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, Maryland
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Cells grown in microgravity grow and
replicate into complex structures, unlike
cells grown on Earth. The cells are to be
returned to Earth and used in studies of
several different diseases.
CBOSS-01-02-RENAL (HAMMOND)
To better understand the mechanisms
that cause several kidney disorders,
human renal cortical epithelial (kidney)
cell lines are grown on the International
Space Station (ISS). Microgravity allows
the cells to grow in 3-D structures that
are similar to how they grow in the
human body.
CBOSS-01-COLON (JESSUP)
To better understand the mechanisms
that cause the differentiation of cells in
microgravity, 6 cell lines of common
human illnesses are grown on ISS. This
study is important for understanding
the mechanisms needed to fight colon
cancer in humans.
ISS0003E5276 – Image of a Quad Tissue Culture Module
Assembly (QTCMA) 7 on International Space Station (ISS)
Expedition 3 after activation of the cells. A syringe was used to
inject cells into the pink nutrient growth media. The
Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (BSTC) can
hold 8 of these QTCMAs, which are used to grow human cells
on ISS. When the samples completed their growth cycle, the
crew transferred the QTCMAs from the BSTC to the
Biotechnology Refrigerator (BTR) where they were stored until
they are examined at a ground-based laboratory.