COMMERCIAL GENERIC BIOPROCESSING APPARATUS (CGBA), THREE
INVESTIGATIONS
Research Areas: Animal Biology – Invertebrates (Synaptogenesis in Microgravity)
Cellular Biology (Kidney Cell Gene Expression)
Microbiology (Antibiotic Production in Space)
Expedition(s): 0, 2, and 4
Principal Investigator(s): ● Haig Keshishian, PhD, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
● Timothy G. Hammond, MD, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical
Center, Durham, North Carolina
● David M. Klaus, PhD, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
SYNAPTOGENESIS IN MICROGRAVITY (KESHISHIAN)
CGBA-Synaptogenesis in Microgravity (SM)
uses the Commercial Genetic Bioprocessing
Apparatus (CGBA) hardware to examine
how microgravity affects nervous system
development of fruit flies, Drosophila
melanogaster. This investigation uses D.
melanogaster embryos and larvae to
observe how nerves that control
movement navigate through an embryonic
central nervous system (CNS) and attach to
muscle fibers. Investigators observe how
the synapses, which are the junction
between 2 nerve cells where signals are
transferred from one nerve to another,
develop both during and after the
embryonic stage.
KIDNEY CELL GENE EXPRESSION (HAMMOND)
The primary objective of CGBA - Kidney Cell Gene Expression (KCGE) is to assess how
microgravity alters the genes controlling protein production in kidney cells. The investigator
hopes to be able to manipulate the kidney cells to produce specific tissues that can be used in
models when developing medicines or in humans. The kidney cell samples are drawn into
the test tubes containing a preservative approximately 2 hours after reaching orbit. Once the
samples are drawn, a messenger RNA (mRNA) preservative is added to the cell cultures for
postflight analysis.
ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCTION IN SPACE (KLAUS)
The objective of this experiment is to determine whether secondary metabolite production
in microbes is impacted by long-duration spaceflight. Previous research, which was conducted
during short-duration space shuttle flights, identified significant potential for antibiotic
ISS004E11048 – The Commercial Generic Bioprocessing
Apparatus isothermal containment module v.3, installed in
Expedite the Processing of Experiments for Space
Station rack just above astronaut Dan Bursch’s extended
left arm; photograph taken during Expedition 4.