Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital said on the 24th that the space biology research payload "BioCabinet," developed by a research team led by otolaryngology professor Park Chan-heum, will be loaded onto the next-generation medium-class satellite No. 3 and head into space on the 27th through the fourth launch of Nuri.
On Earth, diseases can be treated immediately, but in space, prompt care is difficult, and returning to Earth requires considerable time and expense. BioCabinet aims to demonstrate "space medical technology" that overcomes these limits by quickly producing living tissue in space and checking disease responsiveness.
BioCabinet is an advanced research payload weighing 55 kg and measuring 790×590×249 mm, and includes a bio 3D printer and a stem cell differentiation incubator. It is designed to automatically manufacture a human artificial heart in a space environment. The mission duration is 60 days and can be extended up to one year depending on cell status and research objectives.
The payload has two bio modules. The first module 3D-prints cardiac tissue using induced cardiomyocyte stem cells and observes the process in which the cells contract and beat on their own. These cells are created by reprogramming a person's somatic cells into stem cells, which are primitive cells that grow into heart cells and tissues, and they can reproduce functions nearly identical to actual heart cells, making them artificial cardiac tissue structures that can be practically used in the human body.
The second module uses stem cells derived from the tonsil (Tonsil). The tonsil is a tissue from which a large number of stem cells can be harvested in the human body, has strong immune function and stem cell viability, and has a high potential to differentiate into various cells, enabling vascular cell differentiation. If stable vascular differentiation is confirmed even in a space environment, it could be used to treat vascular diseases on the ground and in space.
Park Chan-heum said, "Space development does not generate revenue right away, but it is a 'field that lives on dreams' that produces technologies with massive ripple effects in the future, like CT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and the internet," adding, "Continuous national investment is needed, and with this study as a starting point, we will open a new chapter in Korea's space biomedical engineering field."