title: Versatile fluid-mixing device for cell and tissue microgravity research applications.
abstract: Microgravity life-science research requires hardware that can be easily adapted to a variety of experimental designs and working environments. The Biomodule is a patented, computer-controlled fluid-mixing device that can accommodate these diverse requirements. A typical shuttle payload contains eight Biomodules with a total of 64 samples, a sealed containment vessel, and a NASA refrigeration-incubation module. Each Biomodule contains eight gas-permeable Silastic T tubes that are partitioned into three fluid-filled compartments. The fluids can be mixed at any user-specified time. Multiple investigators and complex experimental designs can be easily accommodated with the hardware. During flight, the Biomodules are sealed in a vessel that provides two levels of containment (liquids and gas) and a stable, investigator-controlled experimental environment that includes regulated temperature, internal pressure, humidity, and gas composition. A cell microencapsulation methodology has also been developed to streamline launch-site sample manipulation and accelerate postflight analysis through the use of fluorescent-activated cell sorting. The Biomodule flight hardware and analytical cell encapsulation methodology are ideally suited for temporal, qualitative, or quantitative life-science investigations.
authors.affiliation: Pennyslvania State University, University Park 16802, USA.
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Wilfinger
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Kunze
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hammerstedt
mesh_terms: D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004867:Equipment Design; D008021:Life Support Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013026:Space Flight; D018531:Spacecraft / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014893:Weightlessness