About the BSO - Showcase
NASA and the BSO are proud to have a decade of accomplishments in cellular biotechnology research and technology development. Below we provide details on our accomplishments, which benefit both human space flight and the quality of life here on Earth.
Accomplishments and Firsts
NASA's bioreactor program was the first ever to:
- Develop a 3D co-culture process (1992)
- Culture high-quality ovarian cancer tumors for cancer research (1995)
- Grow cartilage cells on biodegradable scaffolds (1995)
- Culture normal mammalian tissue (1996)
- Produce taxane in haploid-derived cell cultures (1996)
- Transplant sertoli cells as neurorecovery-inducing cells for Parkinson's disease (1997)
- Produce recombinant selected polypeptides using transformed insect cells (1997)
- Produce a sustained localized brain immunosuppressive effect in localized tissues (1998)
- Grow human renal tubular cells that formed large tissue aggregates (1998)
- Produce an in-vitro system to permit the study of HIV in human lymphoid tissue on Earth in 1-g (1998)
- Co-culture endothelial cells and human breast carcinoma (1998)
- Culture 3D human urogenital tract carcinomas (1998)
- Produce 3Dl optic tissue (1999)
- Produce normal mammalian organ culture (1999)
- Create a model for metastasis of colon cancer cells to the liver (1999)
- Culture cell models of immune dysfunction using human tonsilar tissue (1999)
- Cultures cells of an endangered cetacean (bowhead whale) kidney (1999)
- Produce unique glycosylations in insect cells that express human genes (1999)
- Observe the beating of engineered cardiac tissue, showing spontaneous contractions at a rate of 70 beats per minute (2000)
- Develop a process for propagating a pathogen in a 3D tissue mass (2000)
- Create a method to generate in-situ production of trophic factors (2000)
- Produce 3D tissue-like aggregates of muscle cells from solid fat (2001)
Benefits for Earth
The BSO's tradition of excellence continues, with our research yielding many Earth benefits.
| Topic | Benefit for Earth |
|---|---|
|
CANCER (breast, skin, prostate, ovary, bone and colon) |
|
| DIABETES |
|
| BONE LOSS |
|
| INFECTIOUS DISEASES |
|
| ACUTE INJURY AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY |
|
| DRUG EFFICACY |
|
Benefits for Research and Technology
With active flight and ground research activities and an international community of investigators, BSO research reaps many benefits to terrestrial research and technology.
Learn more about our research in sections on Profiles, Ground-based Research, and Flight Research.
BSO is dedicated to transferring NASA advancements to the greater biotechnology community. Over the past 12 years, BSO has produced nearly 1200 publications and presentations, including 191 abstracts, 444 articles in journals, and 550 presentations.
Learn more about our Publications.
Over 6,000 bioreactors have been sold the world over, giving researchers new insight into three-dimensional tissue growth and development. NASA named the bioreactor its 1991 Invention of the Year, and licensed it to Synthecon, Inc. in 1991.
| Year | Patent Titles | Patent # |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Method for producing non-neoplastic, 3D, mammalian tissue and cell aggregates | 5,496,722 |
| 1997 | Taxane production in haploid-derived cell cultures | 5,547,866 |
| 1998 | Three-dimensional co-culture process | 5,627,021 |
| 1999 | Synthetic compounds and compositions with enhanced cell binding | 5,635,482 |
| 2000 | Recombinant protein production and insect cell culture and process | 5,637,477 |
| 2001 | Sertoli cells as neurorecovery inducing cells for Parkinson's disease | 5,702,700 |
| 2002 | Methods of treating disease using Sertoli cells and allografts or xenografts | 5,725,854 |
Learn more about Advanced Technology and how to Collaborate with BSO.