The Convergence of Aerospace and Health Care
Very exciting news if you follow either the aerospace or health care sectors. HepaLife Technologies, developing the first-of-its-kind bioartificial liver device intended for the treatment of liver failure, announced this week that its proprietary ‘PICM-19’ liver stem cell line is onboard the Space Shuttle “Endeavour” as part of a scientific experiment to investigate the differentiation and function of stem cells in space. The research is being performed under the International Space Station National Laboratory initiative.
“We are honored that America’s space program has selected HepaLife’s liver cells to be part of this important space mission. This event is testimony to the outstanding liver-like functionality of these cells and supports our long-held conviction that our patented PICM-19 cell line is a one-of-a-kind cellular model,” stated Mr. Frank Menzler, President, CEO and Chairman of HepaLife Technologies, Inc.
In addition to serving as a model for stem cell differentiation and function, HepaLife’s PICM cell line is particularly suitable for assessing the effects of space flight and microgravity and on the ability of the human liver to regenerate, a normal but crucial attribute of the liver.
HepaLife’s PICM-19 cell line is the only stem cell known to successfully differentiate into either bile duct cells or hepatocytes, the two cell types that make up 98% of the liver’s tissues and perform the vital functions of the liver. As such, the PICM-19 cells are an ideal in-vitro liver model for either hepatocyte differentiation and function, or bile duct differentiation and function — the primary role of the cells in experiments aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched late last week.
Endeavour was successfully launched on Friday, November 14, with the International Space Station as its destination. The shuttle is scheduled to return to Earth on Saturday, November 29, landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and bringing to an end its 22nd mission, the 27th shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the 124th flight in shuttle program history. Endeavour is commanded by veteran space flier Commander Chris Ferguson, pictured in the center. Other crew members, pictured from left to right, are Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus, Steve Bowen and Donald Pettit, Pilot Eric Boe, Mission Specialists Shane Kimbrough and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper. Image: NASA