Boise State researchers send bone marrow analogs aboard SpaceX mission

An astronaut on the International Space Station holds samples from the Boise State team.

Imagine the pink eraser on a standard No. 2 pencil.

At roughly 5 millimeters across, it's about the same size as the tiny cubes at the center of a historic milestone for Boise State.

For the first time in university history, researchers from the Boise State College of Engineering are sending an experiment to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX mission. While the samples may be no larger than a pencil eraser, they contain living models of human bone marrow that could help researchers better understand how the body builds and loses bone.

Building bone in the lab

Lab-grown bone marrow analogs mimic human bone marrow.

Inside each cube is a bone marrow analog, or BMA, a lab-grown system engineered to mimic the structure and function of human bone marrow. These tiny constructs replicate the internal architecture of bone, including the porous framework that changes as we age.

Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering's Gunes Uzer, alongside co-principal investigator Aykut Satici developed two versions of the BMAs: one that reflects younger, denser bone, and another that mimics aged bone with reduced density. Within each scaffold, bone marrow stem cells are embedded in a soft hydrogel, creating a living environment where cells behave similarly to those in the body.

"Essentially, we're sending living models of human bone marrow into space," Uzer said. "These engineered bone marrow analogs are small, but they recreate key features of the bone marrow environment and allow us to study how stem cells respond to microgravity and mechanical stimulation in ways that aren't possible on Earth."

To encourage bone formation, the cells are exposed to an osteogenic media, a nutrient-rich solution that directs them to develop into bone-forming osteoblasts and produce mineralized tissue.

"By comparing how stem cells behave in each environment, we can better understand how aging influences the body's ability to build and maintain healthy bones," Uzer said.

Why launch to space?

On Earth, gravity constantly influences how cells grow and respond. In microgravity, that force is dramatically reduced, giving researchers a rare opportunity to isolate biological processes.

This matters because bone loss in space happens quickly, resembling accelerated aging. By studying stem cells in orbit, researchers hope to better understand why the body becomes less effective at building bone over time, and whether that decline can be slowed or reversed.

The BMAs traveled inside a fully automated system designed for spaceflight. Housed within CubeLab™ modules developed by Space Tango, the experiment will compare samples exposed to low-intensity mechanical vibration with a control group that receives no stimulation.

"One of the unique aspects of this experiment is that it combines the effects of microgravity with mechanical stimulation," said Mechanical Adaptations Laboratory Manager Sean Howard. "We want to know whether the same types of physical signals cells experience in the body can help preserve bone-forming function in space, and whether those signals might counteract some of the effects associated with aging."

From Boise to orbit

To celebrate this milestone in Boise State's research history, the College of Engineering and Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering hosted a watch party of the SpaceX launch. Photo by Torin Alm

Once aboard the ISS, the experiment runs entirely on its own. The system maintains precise temperature and carbon dioxide levels, automatically delivers nutrients, and activates twice daily to apple mechanical simulation. After 21 days, the samples are preserved and prepared for their return to Earth.

Back on Earth, researchers will analyze the samples using RNA sequencing to understand how gene expression changes in microgravity, along with microscopy and imaging to measure bone formation, cell structure, and organization. Researchers will also conduct an identical experiment on Earth, allowing the team to isolate the specific effects of space.

"When samples return to Earth, we will examine both their genetic activity and their ability to form mineralized bone tissue," Uzer said. "Together, those measurements will help us understand how spaceflight changes cellular behavior and whether those changes resemble what we see during aging."

These results will help answer critical questions: Do cells in microgravity behave like aged cells, with reduced ability to form bone? Can mechanical stimulation restore that function? And does the structure of bone itself influence how cells respond?

While the experiment takes place hundreds of miles above Earth, its implications are deeply human. Insights from this research could improve treatments for osteoporosis and age-related bone loss, enhance recovery from injury, and help protect astronauts during long-duration space missions.

"One of the biggest questions we are trying to answer is whether microgravity accelerates characteristics we normally associate with aging," Uzer said. "If that's the case, space could provide a powerful model for studying age-related bone loss and testing potential interventions."

A milestone for Boise State

Boise State researchers

This mission marks a significant step forward for Boise State's research enterprise, expanding its reach into space-based science and engineering, while strengthening its role in tackling complex, real-world problems.

"We're excited to see what the samples reveal when they come back to Earth," Uzer said. "This experiment gives us an opportunity to explore questions in a completely unique environment with large-scale implications."

From a lab in Boise to orbit around Earth, these tiny cubes represent a big leap. One that could reshape how we understand aging, health and the future of human exploration.

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