Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) flight unit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 

Florida. This is an exact replica of the unit that was delivered to space station for 

its first investigation, Plant Habitat-01. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC, the 

APH is the largest plant chamber built for NASA to conduct automated plant growth 

studies on station. NASA ID: jsc2020e003415. 
Publication Highlights

Biology and Biotechnology

The space station laboratory provides a platform for investigations in the biological sciences that explores the 

complex responses of living organisms to the microgravity environment. Lab facilities support the exploration 

of biological systems, from microorganisms and cellular biology to the integrated functions of multicellular 

plants and animals. From the beginning of station to date, more than 900 articles have been published in the 

area of Biology and Biotechnology. 

The NASA investigation 

Biotube-Magnetophoretically 

Induced Curvature in Roots 

(Biotube-MICRO) examines 

how plant amyloplasts, which 

are involved in the production 

of starch and plant root orientation, respond to 

magnetic gradients in microgravity. On Earth, 

amyloplasts are dense particles that sediment 

in the direction of gravity, inducing the 

downward growth of plant roots. The presence 

of magnetic gradients additionally displaces 

amyloplasts and induces curvature. 

In a recent study published in Scientific 

Reports, researchers used Brassica rapa 

seeds to understand the effect of magnetic 

gradients on transcriptional responses of 

genes related to growth, metabolism, auxin 

(hormones), and stress in microgravity. A 

strong magnetic gradient was generated 

using ferromagnetic wedges that exceeded 

the magnetic force to which plants respond. 

Researchers expected the roots to curve away 

from the wedges. 

Figure 6. Germination and root curvature of Brassica rapa seeds in 

microgravity. Image adopted from Hasenstein, Scientific Reports. 

Researchers compared the germination, root 

curvature, and transcription of 16 genes in 

four tissue types of seedlings grown in space 

versus seedlings grown on the ground in static 

and clinorotated conditions, taking into account 

the magnetic and non-magnetic fields in which 

the seeds were placed. Results showed that 

the presence of a magnetic field did not affect 

germination but did induce curvature (Figure 

6). However, curvature also occurred in nonmagnetic chambers, presumably in response 

to hydrotropism. Magnetic fields in space also 

did not affect transcription activity involved in 

metabolism, indicating that magnetic fields are 

not detrimental to plants. 

However, the size of amyloplasts increased 

in microgravity but decreased during the 

clinorotation condition on the ground. This 

outcome indicates that plants perceive 

gravity, but ground control experimentation 

is not a suitable replacement for research 

conducted under weightlessness. These 

results call for more investigation on the role 

of starch metabolism to develop scientists’

understanding of how space affects plant root 

growth in a weightless environment. 

It is worth highlighting that the crew was not 

involved in the operation of this experiment 

because all procedures were controlled 

remotely from the ground. High-tech systems 

on-board station allow researchers to monitor 

their experiments remotely and obtain reliable 

results without involving crew time. 

Hasenstein KH, Park MR, John SP, Ajala C. High-gradient magnetic fields and starch metabolism: Results from a space experiment. 

Scientific Reports. 2022 October 29; 12(1): 18256. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22691-2. 

10 
Publication Highlights

Biology and Biotechnology

The Roscosmos and 

NASA investigation Tissue 

Regeneration - Bone Defect 

(Rodent Research-4 CASIS) 

examines the processes, 

changes, and outcomes of 

wound healing after exposure 

to microgravity. Effective tissue repair after 

injury could result in fewer health complications 

and reduced costs. While the main objective 

of the overall investigation is to learn about 

regeneration and healing of bone tissue, a 

recent study published in The International 

Journal of Molecular Sciences focuses on the 

healing of skin tissue. 

In the new study, researchers analyzed the 

connective tissue from the thigh dermis of 40 

mice (10 in microgravity and 30 in multiple 

control groups) after ~23 days of spaceflight. 

Connective tissue in the dermis plays a 

significant role in adaptation to different gravity 

conditions, with its fibers (type-I and type-III 

collagens) providing the structure, strength, 

and elasticity for the skin. Mast cells in 

connective tissue assist in fiber reconstruction 

of the dermis and other internal organs through 

the secretion of proteins, enzymes, and growth 

factors. 

Control

Control

Microgravity

Microgravity

Figure 7. Connective tissue (top row) and mast cell (bottom row) differences 

between control and microgravity samples. Image adopted from Shishkina, 

International Journal of Mofecular Life Sciences. 

Compared to control mice, experiment mice 

sent to space showed increased interfascicular 

spaces in the connective tissue, shorter and 

tangled fibers forming a cellular web, and more 

type-III fibers than type-I fibers (Figure 7). 

Disappearance of reticular fibers around the 

mast cells and more degranulation were also 

observed. Although the size of mast cells in the 

spaceflight group remained the same as that in 

controls, the mast cells showed protuberances 

as well as excess secretion of small granules 

after microgravity exposure. According to the 

researchers, these changes to mast cells may 

indicate a more active granule metabolism or 

an adaptation to gravity changes. 

This pioneering study characterizes the 

structure of supporting connective tissue in 

mice after spaceflight. Its results are an initial 

step toward discovering the mechanisms of 

tissue remodeling, which could lead to the 

treatment of degenerated tissue through the 

development of pharmaceuticals that assist 

the renewal of connective tissue in diseased 

organs. 

In 2021, the ESA

investigation Space Omics 

Analysis of the Skin 

Microbiome of Diabetic 

Foot Ulcers (Ice Cubes #9 

– Project Maleth) from the 

Mediterranean country 

Malta, conducted its first biomedical science 

experiment in space to examine the effects of 

spaceflight and microgravity on human skin 

tissue microbiome. 

Malta has a high prevalence of diabetes. 

Patients suffering from this disease have 

reduced blood flow to their extremities 

and develop nerve damage that results in 

weakness and numbness of the hands and 

feet. Consequently, up to 25 percent of patients 

develop diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) that can 

become infected. The microbiome present in 

Shishkina VV, Kostin A, Volodkin A, Samoilova V, Buchwalow I, et al. The remodeling of dermal collagen fibrous structures in mice under zero 

gravity: The role of mast cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023 January 18; 24(3): 1939. DOI: 10.3390/ijms24031939. 

11 
Publication Highlights

Biology and Biotechnology

these ulcers forms a biofilm that makes the 

host’s immune system and systemic antibiotics 

unable to penetrate the ulcer, making it 

very difficult to treat. Infected and untreated 

DFUs may progress into bone infections (i.e., 

osteomyelitis) that would require amputation to 

save the patient. 

Astronauts, like diabetics, develop thinner and 

drier skin susceptible to damage while their 

compromised immune system further delays 

wound recovery. The similarities in skin profiles 

between astronauts and diabetics allow 

researchers to understand bacterial diversity 

in DFUs under two environmental conditions, 

Earth and microgravity. 

Figure 8. Mixed bacteria culture from a diabetic foot ulcer obtained before 

spaceaflight. NASA ID: jsc2021e0933545 

In the most recent study published in Heliyon, 

researchers obtained six skin tissue samples 

(Figure 8) along with its microbiome from Type2 diabetes patients with DFUs with the goal of 

identifying differences in the microorganisms 

using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Analyses 

revealed different sample structures between 

tissue types, more similarity and clustering in 

the Earth control samples, and more diversity 

of bacterial species without clustering in the 

microgravity samples. Additional analyses 

showed that certain bacteria survive, adapt, 

and thrive more in station’s DFU tissue 

samples. In particular, a high abundance of 

Pseudomonas and Morganella was identified. 

The data collected through this investigation is 

now part of the GeneLab repository. Subjecting 

skin tissue to microgravity helps researchers 

understand the adaptation and survival of 

disease-causing bacteria to improve wound 

healing in diabetic patients and astronauts 

under the stresses of disease or space. 

Through multiple JAXA

investigations on station 

– Transcriptome 

analysis and germ-cell 

development analysis of 

mice in the space (MHU1), Mouse Habitat Unit 

Technical Verification (MHU-4), and Mouse 

Habitat Unit-5 (MHU-5) – researchers are 

examining physiological and gene expression 

changes in mice after exposure to partial and 

full microgravity. 

Although more than 40 percent of the human 

body’s total mass is comprised of skeletal 

muscle, little is known about how different 

levels of mechanical loading and unloading 

impact the cellular and molecular processes 

of muscle fibers. Given that muscle wasting 

conditions are associated with loss of strength, 

deformity, disability, and increased mortality, 

this new station research could greatly benefit 

the development of countermeasures for 

Gatt C, Tierney BT, Madrigal P, Mason CE, Beheshti A, et al. The Maleth program: Malta's first space mission discoveries on the 

microbiome of diabetic foot ulcers. Heliyon. 2022 December; 8(12): e12075. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12075. 

12 
Publication Highlights

Biology and Biotechnology

astronauts and treatments for patients on 

Earth. 

In a study recently published in 

Communications Biology, researchers sought 

to investigate how skeletal muscle myofibers 

(slow-twitch and fast-twitch) in calf muscles 

responded to different levels of gravity (Earth 

artificial gravity, lunar gravity, and microgravity) 

to better understand protein regulation and 

degradation. In particular, researchers wanted 

to learn whether lunar gravity (i.e., one-sixth 

of Earth gravity) was enough to retain healthy 

muscle fibers. 

These results demonstrated that lunar gravity 

meets the minimum gravitational threshold 

needed to prevent full muscle atrophy. 

However, the transcriptome of mice in lunar 

gravity resembled that of mice in microgravity 

more than mice in artificial Earth gravity or 

ground controls. This result suggested that the 

expression of some genes is better regulated 

by a gravitational load higher than one-sixth 

gravity. Finally, researchers found that lunar 

gravity, like microgravity, induces slow-tofast myofiber transitions. That is, there was 

downregulation of genes associated with 

Figure 9. Cross-section of calf muscle in mice. Muscile fiber sfrom ground control (GC) and lunar gravity (AG) were more alike than to muscle 

fibers exposed to microgravity (MG). Image adopted from Hayashi, Communications Biology. 

Researchers used the Multiple Artificial-gravity 

Research System (MARS) on the space 

station to manipulate the level of gravity and 

examine skeletal muscle changes in 24 young 

male mice after one month of exposure to the 

different gravitational loads. 

Researchers conducted histological and RNA

sequencing analyses approximately two days 

after landing and found a 40 percent reduction 

in myofiber size in the MG group but not in the 

AG or GC groups (Figure 9).

mitochondrial function and ATP production in 

mice exposed to microgravity and lunar gravity, 

consequently affecting muscle metabolism to 

support contractions. 

Through this study, researchers demonstrated 

that an artificial gravity system is critical to 

understanding the response of muscle fibers 

and improve therapies for skeletal muscle 

health in astronauts. 

Hayashi T, Fujita R, Okada R, Hamada M, Suzuki R, et al. Lunar gravity prevents skeletal muscle atrophy but not myofiber type shifts in 

mice. Communications Biology. 2023 April 21; 6(1): 424. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04769-3. 

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