Encapsulate

In a 2020-2023 project with the International Space Station National Laboratory (ISSNL), in partnership with Space Tango, we developed the first fully automated tumor-on-a-chip system that can encapsulate, maintain, grow, treat, monitor, and fix patient-derived microtumors in-orbit and onboard the ISSNL (Project #: GA2019-7750). We have developed biomimetic tumor microenvironments that recapitulate the environment of tumors in the human body and that can accurately predict the response of a patient’s cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs. As a result of this working collaboration, we evaluated, developed, and optimized our biochips to ensure compatibility with on-orbit operations. We have demonstrated the capability of our biochips to be fully integrated with the Space Tango’s PAUL system, and with our co-developed automated device, to grow, maintain, and monitor patient-derived microtumors in microgravity.