Menu

UPWARD | Magazine of the ISS National Lab

Spotlight

Going Beyond Earth’s Limitations to Understand Parkinson’s Disease

by

We know that the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease originate from a decrease in dopamine production due to the loss of neurons. But why are the neurons lost? Is there a genetic cause?

According to more than a decade of research, a mutation in a gene known as LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2) appears to be linked to Parkinson’s disease in some patients. However, despite the knowledge that this gene may be involved in some cases of the disease, researchers have been unable to unlock the full potential of this genetic research because of the difficulty in studying its gene product, LRRK2 protein.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is dedicated to finding improved therapies and ultimately a cure for Parkinson’s disease, has partnered with the ISS National Lab to investigate the structure of the LRRK2 protein by crystallizing it in microgravity. For some proteins, crystallization in space produces larger and higher-quality crystals than on Earth.

“Therapies targeting LRRK2 are already advancing, even though we don’t know its atomic structure,” said Marco Baptista, Director of Research Programs at The Michael J. Fox Foundation. “But we can’t yet perform structure-based drug discovery that fully leverages the insight of the drug’s binding pocket. To get an accurate picture of the structure, researchers need LRRK2 protein crystals that are large and have few defects. However, LRRK2 crystals grown on Earth suffer from limitations in these areas.”

Protein crystals grown onboard the ISS National Lab don’t grow like they do on Earth—with less pull from gravity, crystals can grow larger and in a more uniform and ordered pattern. Once the large, well-ordered crystals return to Earth, they are then easier to observe using high-resolution imaging techniques. Thus, crystallization of LRRK2 on the ISS could lead to improved structure determination of LRRK2 and help advance structure-based drug design.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s first investigation to crystallize LRRK2 on the ISS National Lab launched on SpaceX’s 12th commercial resupply services (CRS) mission. Although the resulting crystals were of high quality, they were not large enough to improve structure determination of LRRK2.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation sent a second investigation to the ISS National Lab on Northrop Grumman CRS-10 to crystallize LRRK2 using a different type of hardware to enable larger crystal growth. This time, the team, which also includes researchers from Merck & Co. and Goethe University Frankfurt, was also able to monitor the crystals in orbit and make any necessary adjustments to improve crystal growth. The results from this experiment could help researchers gain new knowledge in the fight against Parkinson’s and other diseases.

Interestingly, the knowledge gained from this and related studies could also be beneficial for those who have Parkinson’s disease but do not have the LRRK2 mutation. Even when mutations in other genes may be at fault, many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are the same. Thus, treatments developed using the knowledge gained from studying LRRK2 could be broadly effective for the one million people in the U.S., and 6 million worldwide, currently living with Parkinson’s disease.

This content was abridged from an article that originally appeared on ISS360 in November 2018.

Materials in Microgravity: The ISS National Lab at the Materials Research Society Fall Meeting

by

Uniformity. It is a central concept in materials science. We have all heard about how a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When metals are not alloyed (or mixed) to uniformity, weak points develop that lead to fracturing of a single link and failure of the entire structure. The uniformity of materials is set during the solidification process. And the nemesis of uniformity during complex solidification processes is gravity.

Access to the persistent microgravity environment on the ISS means freeing researchers from the one-dimensional force of gravity. Microgravity mitigates effects such as buoyancy and sedimentation and can produce materials with a higher degree of uniformity.

The ISS National Lab attended the 2019 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting in Boston to participate in two technical talks discussing the role of microgravity in achieving uniformity during materials manufacturing. The talks focused on complex multiphase materials and high-entropy alloys.

Complex Multiphase Materials

Complex multiphase materials (such as foams, gels, colloids, and microemulsions) exist as a combination of gaseous, liquid, or solid phases that self-assemble into structures. However, gravity can cause solids to fall out of solution (sedimentation) or fluids and gases to phase separate out of solution due to differences in density (buoyancy). And like the layers in the dessert flan, gravity causes the compression of the bottom layers of gels and foams (stratification), creating nonuniform density and material properties. While this nonuniformity, or anisotropy, can be useful for some applications, it is prohibitive in others, such as insulation, wound dressings, and support structures.

ISS National Lab investigations on multiphase materials range from suspended particles in solution (colloids) to foams and gels, emulsions, and liquid crystals. Procter and Gamble (P&G) used the ISS National Lab to explore the transport and stability of gels and colloids in the absence of gravity, which might allow the company to improve the quality and shelf life of consumer products we use every day.

In another investigation, Tympanogen examined the structure of hydrogels polymerized on the ISS and analyzed the release and transport of drugs from hydrogel wound patches. Results from this research can help improve the manufacturing process of wound dressings and better control the release of antimicrobial drugs.

High-Entropy Alloys

High-entropy alloys, a new class of metal alloys composed of five or more elements in near equal proportions, are an exciting area of metals research. The term “high-entropy” describes the energetics of the uniform mixture that are needed for so many components to exist as an alloy rather than distinct phases.

Some high-entropy alloys have higher fracture toughness, strength-to-weight ratios, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance when compared with many existing metal alloys, such as aluminum alloys and steels.However, they are a complex mixture of many elements with varying densities. This leads to the separation of elements in the melt and anisotropy in the solidified high-entropy alloys, which causes poor overall strength and mechanical properties.

The microgravity environment of the ISS could be used to manufacture high-entropy alloys with uniformity in composition (isotropy) throughout the alloy.While the solidification of high-entropy alloys themselves has not been tested in microgravity, numerous studies of metal alloy solidification in microgravity provide evidence of improved uniformity in the solidified product. The manufacture of high-entropy alloys is analogous to in-space manufacturing of complex fluorinated glasses (ZBLAN optical fibers) currently being tested on the ISS.

This content was abridged and updated from an article that originally appeared on ISS360 in November 2019.

2019 ISSRDC Materials Science in Space Workshop Report Released

by

In November, the ISS National Lab and NASA’s Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications (SLPSRA) Division released the 2019 ISS Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) Materials Science in Space Workshop Report.

The 2019 ISSRDC Materials Science in Space Workshop was held on July 29 during ISSRDC in Atlanta, Georgia. This joint workshop brought together government, university, and industry researchers and engineers to discuss how microgravity and the extreme environmental conditions on the ISS could be leveraged for innovative materials science research that meets both NASA’s exploration goals and the ISS National Lab’s goals to benefit life on Earth.

The first part of the workshop included briefings on high-priority advanced materials topics and new ideas and provided overviews of the latest facilities and instruments on the ISS available for materials research. The second part of the workshop consisted of in-depth breakout sessions, chosen based on responses to a Request for Information issued in advance of the workshop, covering three topics:

1) Functional Materials

2) Materials Characterization, Microstructure, and Process Modeling

3) Lunar Infrastructure and Surface Operations

The goal of the breakout sessions was to discuss potential future investigations, identify gaps in existing research capabilities on the ISS, and recommend follow-on actions.

The Functional Materials session focused on leveraging microgravity conditions on the ISS to develop materials that have improved or tailored properties either for use on Earth or for exploration purposes. Key themes discussed in the session include additive manufacturing and how it can be used to produce materials with improved functionality and performance, materials reuse and the ability to process waste into useful material, high-value materials that can uniquely benefit from studying their production in microgravity, and the acquiring of thermophysical property data to drive machine learning and modeling.

The Materials Characterization, Microstructure, and Process Modeling session centered on use of the ISS for benchmark experiments to study microstructure development and thermophysical properties in microgravity. Such information is needed for the development and validation of physics-based models for a wide variety of fabrication processes. Overarching themes of this session include the use of microgravity to gain fundamental knowledge of additive manufacturing and metal processes and the application of insight gained to the in-space processing, manufacture, and assembly of large-scale systems.

The Lunar Infrastructure and Surface Operations session discussed materials systems and processes necessary for operation in space, lunar, and Martian environments. The focus was on identifying research that could be done on the ISS to examine the effects of microgravity or reduced gravity on materials production and repair processes for long-duration missions on the surface of the Moon or Mars. Key themes from this session include advanced manufacturing, surface infrastructure, in-space assembly, resource prospecting, resource processing and handling, advanced materials development, dust mitigation, and space/lunar environmental compatibility testing.

The workshop report summarizes discussions from the breakout sessions and highlights the resulting key recommendations. For more information about the workshop and to view workshop presentations, visit issnationallab.org/workshops/2019-materials-in-space. Download the full workshop report at issnl.us/2019msw.

This content was adapted from an article that originally appeared on ISS360 in November 2019.

Where the Rubber Meets the Sky: Goodyear Paves the Way to Advanced Tire Material

by

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company has long demonstrated innovation in space, beginning with the company’s key contributions to the lunar landing 50 years ago. Now, onboard SpaceX’s 18th commercial resupply services mission to the space station, Goodyear sent a new investigation to space, seeking to develop advanced materials for consumer tires.

Silica is a common material used in consumer tires to help enhance fuel efficiency and traction. While advances in silica technology have been made in many key areas of importance for the tire industry, silica microstructure still represents an area where research would be beneficial. The ISS National Lab investigation from Goodyear will evaluate the formation of precipitated silica particles in the functional absence of gravity onboard the ISS, where the team may be able to observe novel molecular structures or morphologies of silica not previously observed on Earth.

Such insights could have a clear path to industrial application in the development of unique silica structures—which could result in enhanced tire performance. A breakthrough in the research of the effect of silica morphology on rubber compound properties could lead to not only significant improvements in fuel efficiency and transportation cost savings but also possibly environmental benefits to advance global efforts toward sustainable living.

ISS National Lab advanced materials investigations, such as Goodyear’s, have the ability to accelerate applied research, with the potential to bring to market innovative ideas that both demonstrate the industrial capabilities of the ISS to benefit life on Earth and also create a vibrant marketplace in low Earth orbit. Goodyear is one of many private-sector companies helping to pave the way for this exciting future.

This content was abridged and updated from an article that originally appeared on ISS360 in July 2019.

The First American Space-Based Bioprinter

by

Commercial service provider Techshot, in partnership with NASA and the ISS National Lab, launched the first American bioprinter to the ISS National Lab onboard SpaceX’s 18th commercial resupply services mission. The 3D BioFabrication Facility (BFF) will enable cutting-edge biotechnology research is space.

While researchers on Earth have had limited success in printing human elements like bones and cartilage, the ability for them to manufacture soft human tissue, such as blood vessels, has proven to be much more difficult. Specifically, the bioinks used in 3D bioprinting have a low viscosity, and on Earth, scientists must use scaffolding to support bioprinted structures and prevent them from collapsing. However, this scaffolding makes it difficult to construct void spaces needed in tissues.

Bioprinting in microgravity could prove beneficial because scaffolding is not needed to keep printed structures from collapsing, allowing scientists to overcome what has been a significant hurdle in ground-based biomanufacturing of human organs.

To further assist in the printing of human elements on the space station through the BFF, Techshot partnered with nScrypt, widely regarded as one of the most reputable 3D-printing companies in the world. To address bioink-related constraints to bioprinting on Earth, nScrypt’s patented SmartPump Micro-Dispensing tool head will enable precise placement of bioink, thereby enabling stronger formation of printed materials.

Techshot and nScrypt are first seeking to validate the BFF—initially by attempting simple engineering prints, with the expectation to progress to more complex cardiac-like tissue. Within Techshot’s cell-culturing system, the printed tissue is expected to strengthen over time—and once it is viable and self-supporting, it will be sent back to Earth for further analysis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on any given day in the United States, an estimated 75,000 people are on the active waiting list for organs, far exceeding the organs available for patients. While the road to assembling a human lung or other organs is likely still many years away, the space station is enabling researchers and engineers the ability to develop, test, and validate new facilities that could have dramatic impacts on patient care back on Earth.

More broadly, through the emergence of new space-based facilities such as the BFF, the ISS National Lab is evolving to meet the needs of the modern-day research community, providing more opportunities for groundbreaking, innovative science.

This content was abridged and updated from an article that originally appeared on ISS360 in July 2019.

Synthesizing Gas Separation Membranes in Microgravity

by

Humankind has made incredible technological advancements over the past two centuries. However, many of these advancements have come at a significant cost to the environment and risk to future generations. Globally, principal human impacts to the environment include accelerated changes to Earth’s atmosphere and climate, rising sea levels and increasing ocean temperatures, desertification, shortages of natural resources such as water and food, loss of biological diversity, and widespread pollution.

Now more than ever, it is important to address these issues, and scientists are leveraging the ISS to gain new insights into global environmental challenges and develop new solutions to benefit Earth. Sustainability is a key focus area for research and development onboard the ISS National Lab, which currently has more than 31 sustainability projects in its portfolio. Results from studies conducted onboard the ISS National Lab provide meaningful insights into materials and processes that drive sustainable development.

One such project from the company Cemsica is aimed at synthesizing gas separation membranes in microgravity. Despite many innovations in the energy industry, technology development has been lagging for the removal of gases, notably carbon dioxide, from waste air streams. Cemsica has been working on a potential breakthrough technology that addresses the critical need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that result from industrial processes.

Cemsica is developing nanoporous membranes that can be tailored to remove specific contaminants, like carbon dioxide, from combustion exhaust gas streams, and the company conducted an investigation onboard the ISS National Lab aimed at improving synthesis of the membranes.

“The carbon dioxide footprint is one of the biggest problems in the energy industry,” said Negar Rajabi, founder and chief executive officer of Cemsica.

However, carbon dioxide is not always a waste product. It can also be a commodity sold as a feedstock for manufacturing chemicals and beverages—if the carbon dioxide is pure and can be recovered economically.

Commercial methods for capturing carbon dioxide have been around for several years but are complex and very expensive. As such, they have not been successfully implemented on a large scale. Cemsica believes its nanoparticle membranes are a better solution that will reduce operational costs, increase efficiency, and accelerate technological innovations in the industry that benefit the world.

A critical feature of Cemsica’s membranes are the nanopores—tiny holes that allow precise separation of carbon dioxide from other gas molecules. Because gravity significantly impacts how particles order themselves on the nanoscale, Rajabi hopes that synthesizing membranes onboard the ISS National Lab will allow Cemsica to overcome some remaining manufacturing challenges in the synthesis and assembly of the membranes—allowing them to produce even lower-cost membranes with improved properties.

Although nanomaterials are not new, Rajabi says there is still much to learn that can enhance nanomaterial properties. She and her team are still in the process of analyzing the data from their ISS National Lab investigation, but preliminary results have shown some improvements in the formation, shape, and size of the particles. Confirming these positive results would provide insights for improving manufacturing of the membranes on the ground and could also open the door for future in-orbit manufacturing in this sector, expanding industrial use of low Earth orbit.

This content was abridged and updated from an article that originally appeared in Upward Volume 4 Issue 1 from July 2019.

Receive Upward via Email