By: Chloe Sun

Researcher Dhruv Sareen launched her stem cells into space. Why? She wants to answer one question – do stem cells grow better in a zero-gravity area like space?

Stem cells are a special type of cells that have the potential to differentiate into any type of cells, such as blood cells or brain cells, depending on their environment. Scientists are interested to know whether stem cells will grow faster in space where there is zero-gravity. If that is the case, it will provide a novel way to boost up the production of stem cells for potential medical therapy.

Currently, researchers get stem cells by extracting samples from an adult’s tissue or embryo, then they put the cells in a culture to let them grow. Half of the stem cells from Sareen are orbiting around planet earth, and the other half are cultured on earth. At the end of the experiment, scientists will compare these two groups to know exactly the effect of space travel on stem cells.