Search

In vitro three-dimensional (3D) human broncho-epithelial (HBE) tissue-like assemblies (3D HBE TLAs or TLAs) were engineered in modeled microgravity using rotating wall vessel technology (pictured above) to mimic the characteristics of in vivo tissue. The TLAs were bioengineered onto collagen-coated cyclodextran beads using primary human mesenchymal bronchial-tracheal cells (HBTC) as the foundation matrix and an adult human broncho-epithelial immortalized cell line (BEAS-2B) as the overlying component. The resulting TLAs share significant characteristics with in vivo human respiratory epithelium including polarization, tight junctions, desmosomes, and microvilli. The presence of tissue-like differentiation markers including villi, keratins, and specific lung epithelium markers, as well as the production of tissue mucin, further confirm these TLAs have differentiated into tissues functionally like in vivo tissues. TLAs mimic aspects of the human respiratory epithelium and provide a unique capability to study the interactions of respiratory viruses and their primary target tissue independent of the host's immune system. The innovation "Methods For Growing Tissue-Like 3D Assemblies Of Human Broncho-Epithelial Cells" is at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 (which means system/subsystem prototype demonstration in a relevant environment) and the related patent is now available to license for development into a commercial product. Please note that NASA does not manufacture products itself for commercial sale.

The innovative technology from Ames acts as a microfluidics switch array, using combinations of pressure and flow conditions to achieve specific logic states that determine the sequences of sample movement between microfluidic wells. This advancement will enable automation of complex laboratory techniques not possible with earlier microfluidics technologies that are designed to follow predetermined flow paths and well targets. This novel method also enables autonomous operations including changing the flow paths and targeting well configurations in situ based on measured data decision parameters. This microfluidic system can be reconfigured for use in various experimental applications, requiring only an adjustment of the programmed pressure sequencing, reducing the need for custom design and development for each new application. For example, this technology could provide the ability to selectively constrain or move biological specimens in the experimental wells, allowing evolutionary studies of model organisms in response to various stressors, evaluation of different growth conditions on biological production of antibodies or other small molecule therapeutics, among other potential applications. Likewise, this platform can be used to foster time-dependent, step-wise, chemical reactions, which could be used for novel chemical processes or in situ resource utilization.

The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office (AACO) at NASA Johnson Space Center currently curates 500 milligrams of the regolith sample from the Asteroid Ryugu that was collected by the Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa II spacecraft and returned to Earth in 2021. In September 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned 70 grams of regolith collected from the surface of Asteroid Bennu. These astromaterial sample collections are stored and handled in gloveboxes and desiccators that are continuously purged with ultrapure nitrogen in order to minimize contamination and alteration of extraterrestrial samples from terrestrial environments. For collaborative astromaterial sample research conducted outside of the AACO, a need emerged for a sample container system suitable for global transport, capable of maintaining the same low-oxygen envi-ronment as laboratory gloveboxes. Thus, the MCS was developed. MSC’s of different sizes (2, 4, and 8-inch sample container models) have been developed to store contact pads and bulk samples from NASA missions, including the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Bennu mission. MCS’s are designed with seal profiles to prevent oxygen from seeping into the sample container. Additionally, the MCS uses a sample container form-factor that optimizes favorable nitrogen to oxygen gas ratios. The final prototypes were tested and verified using optochemical sensors to measure trace oxygen levels within the sealed containers. The Modular Container System (MCS) could fill a critical gap in the existing high-purity logistics and storage market in its ability to provide a passively maintained, verifiable, multi-year, glovebox-level low-oxygen environment in a portable robust form-factor. Although this technology was originally developed for astromaterial transport and storage, commercial applications may also exist in biopharmaceutical/ bio-banking, microelectronics/ semiconductor, and other industries.