UC San Diego Experiment Will Send 'Mini-Brains' Into Space
Speaker 1: 00:00 Human brains have always developed subject to Earth's gravity. But what effect does gravity have on that development? A new experiment by UC San Diego researchers will send human mini brains into outer space to find out what effect weightlessness has on a growing brain. In addition to discovering more about the effects of gravity, researchers hope time on the international space station will also reveal more about the way aging and disease affects the brain. Journey me is the leader of the project, Dr Alison Marois, tree professor in the UC San Diego School of medicine departments of Pediatrics and cellular and molecular medicine and a Dr Mwah tree. Welcome to the program. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Now these so called mini brains are called organoids. Can you give us a layman's description of what they are? Speaker 2: 00:55 Yeah, so a brain organize or is more with structures derived from the stem cells. These are human stem cells, uh, that we use protocols in the lab to transform them into a brain structures. And that's why they are called also mini brains. They're not a natural, miniaturized version of the brain, but I'm just a model, uh, to study human brain development. And they are, uh, an interesting to especially at the very early stages of development, uh, since we have no access to the human brain, uh, in news. However, we also have limitations. So these are known vascularize structures. Uh, they do not have all the cell types in there and they also are just like a, a very simplified representation of the brain. But even with all these caveats, it's still one of the best models that we have to study human brain development. Speaker 1: 01:54 And if I understand it correctly, the supposition is that these organoids may grow differently in space aboard the International Space Station without the effect of Earth's gravity. Speaker 2: 02:04 That's correct. This is one of our hypothesis. So in the past that people have been sending cells to the space station and when is this that they replicate or they divide up more frequently than they do on earth and um, they also seem to age a little bit faster. So we have owned indications to believe that these brain cells will suffer the same thing. Uh, they may proliferate a little bit more or longer, and they also should send Nass or age a little bit faster compared to, um, cells on earth. Speaker 1: 02:40 How long is the experiments supposed to last? Speaker 2: 02:43 So this is a, a forest mission out of 10 missions. And this first one, uh, we are doing a proof of principle. So we are keeping these brain organoids for about one month at these tests I space station. Speaker 1: 02:56 And how are you going to keep these masses of cells alive during the experiment? Speaker 2: 03:01 Yeah, so this was one of the biggest challenge from the engineer perspective because on earth, I mean, I have a, these mini brains growing inside my lab and I have the students, technicians, um, everybody kind of taking care of them because they require a specialized, um, media conditions. Uh, we need to avoid contamination. So there is lots of a human handling, uh, to make sure that they are alive and, and survive for longer periods of time. So in our space, we don't have that luxury. I mean the astronauts are not trained to do that. So we have to automize out to monetize the entire system. Um, and this was done by a lab, uh, in Kentucky who is specialized in, um, same thing, um, live materials to the space station. So we team up with them and, um, we have a now a fully automated platform that can keep this brainer lives without the human touch. Speaker 1: 03:58 Now, science fiction author and UC San Diego Scholar David Brin is quite excited about this project. He's quoted as saying, quote, our future path and becoming an interplanetary species could depend on discoveries that we'll be making with this mission. I wonder, do you agree? Speaker 2: 04:15 Yes, absolutely. I think, um, David and I, I mean, we share a passion for science fiction and since I was a kid, I hear about humans leaving in another planet or colonizing space and um, but, uh, really not much attention, um, has been put on a human physiology in his space, especially at very early stages of development. So one can imagine, uh, if the human brain grows, um, beggar in space, it might have be a problem for a natural delivery. So c-section might be required in his page with complicated lots of things or the human brain might not be adapted, uh, to these micro gravity in the way the brain cells migrate and develop. The human brain might not be exactly the same as on earth. Um, and that might generate problems including cognitive problems, for example. So this is a very important question and the earlier we start to learn about it, the higher the chances we have to fix it. Speaker 1: 05:19 When will the organoids below hunched? Speaker 2: 05:21 It's predicted to be lounge on the uh, 21st of July. It's going to be a Sunday. Speaker 1: 05:27 And is that to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing? That's correct. Speaker 2: 05:31 Well though that was not planned at all. I mean, but it was a nice coincidence. Speaker 1: 05:36 Is it going to be launched by a private spaceship? Oh yes. He's going to be on ice space x rocket. How much will you be able to monitor the progress of the experiment from Earth? We have, I have Speaker 2: 05:46 a, a same sores inside the spot, the form, uh, including a temperature Ph and, and small cameras where we can follow in control some of the equipment. So we'll have, um, almost a real time access to visualize how these brain organoids are working. Um, so we have some control, but not completely control on the experiment. I've been speaking with UC San Diego, Professor Alison Marois, tree lead researcher in the brain organoids space experiment. Good luck. Thank you for speaking with us. Thank you so much. Speaker 3: 06:25 Uh.
