Experts Create Early Blood Cells on Tiangong Station, Moving Closer to Producing Any Human Cell Type.
The experiment was conducted after the arrival of the Tiangong 6 cargo spacecraft at the space station. Subsequently, the Shenzhou-15 crewed spacecraft brought the cells back to Earth on June 4.
Tiangong 6 cargo spacecraft transporting stem cells to the Tiangong space station on May 10. (Photo: Xinhua).
In the experiment, pluripotent stem cells—a unique type of stem cell capable of developing into any major cell type of the human body—were sent to the Wentiang laboratory module of the Tiangong space station. Here, some successfully developed into hematopoietic stem cells, which produce blood cells. In this way, scientists have created blood cells in space for the first time.
“In fact, we have only achieved the first goal of the project. We still have much to do next,” Lei Xiaohua, a researcher at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, shared.
Lei stated that his team will compare the cells generated in space with those on Earth, attempting to identify the specific genes that control the development process. “We will conduct further research on stem cells during the Tiangong 7 and 8 missions,” Lei added.
Stem cells are a key factor in regenerative medicine—a field focused on regenerating organs, tissues, and other parts of the human body to help heal original parts damaged by aging, disease, or injury.
Research on stem cells in space is of great interest because cells—like the entire human body—can be affected by the microgravity environment of space.
One of the goals of China’s crewed space program is to search for planets suitable for life, according to Cang Huaixing, a researcher responsible for scientific experiments on the Tiangong station, an expert at the Space Technology and Engineering Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “The space environment has very low gravity and high radiation. How to travel, survive, and reproduce in such an environment is our main research task,” Cang said.
