BioServe Space Technologies (hereinafter referred to as BioServe) is a center within the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA.

They have designed and built hardware for life science experiments in microgravity environments on over 90 space missions.

BioServe is currently developing the BioServe In-Space Cell Expansion Platform (BICEP), a system that supports the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells under microgravity conditions.

(This photo shows a system similar to this project)

Hematopoietic stem cells are the cells that give rise to red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc.

Stem cell transplantation, a treatment for leukemia and cancer, involves the infusion of hematopoietic stem cells from a healthy donor into a patient, which then populate the patient's bone marrow to re-generate the blood system.

The mechanism of hematopoietic stem cell proliferation within the bone marrow is still not fully understood.

In addition, when expanded on Earth, the proportion and robustness of stem cells decline as they are cultured.

Growth under microgravity conditions may better mimic the natural environment of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow and allow expansion to occur with improved quality of cellular transplant product.

Challenge and Solution

For the BICEP design, BioServe was looking for a small, reliable peristaltic pump that could perfuse media within the system at around 2 mL/min.

BioServe evaluated and selected the RP-Q pump because it had the necessary characteristics and had already been used in space.

They were also satisfied that Takasago customized the pump's tubing to fit their application.

In ground tests, the pumps are driven stably.

On August 3, 2024, the payload was launched from Florida, U.S.A., by the Cygnus cargo ship, and arrived safely at the ISS on August 6, 2024.

The proliferation system including RP-Q is expected to contribute to hematopoietic stem cell proliferation experiments in microgravity.