individual
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Mariposa Magee, Junior
Lead Presenter's Name
Mariposa Magee
Faculty Mentor Name
Emel Sen-Kilic
Abstract
The human immune system is complex and highly responsive to physiological stress, especially when subjected to spaceflight conditions. Spaceflight conditions have shown to increase the risk of opportunistic infections such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This clinically relevant, gram-negative pathogen has been found in space flight-related environments such as on the International Space Station. Individuals in spaceflight environments are prone to experiencing immune dysfunction and altered cytokine profiles and could be at a greater risk for developing an opportunistic infection such as P. aeruginosa during the duration in spaceflight. P. aeruginosa poses a threat to individuals both on Earth and in spaceflight because it is antimicrobial resistant. Interactions between P. aeruginosa and lung tissue under spaceflight stress need to be better understood so countermeasures can be put in place in an environment with limited access to treatment options and emergency healthcare. To investigate this, the Space Lab at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University proposes the development of a three-dimensional (3D) lung organoid model using A549 cells (human lung epithelial cells derived from an adenocarcinoma) cultured on microcarrier beads in Slow Turning Lateral Vessel (STLV) bioreactors to maintain a low shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) environment, simulating one of the key cellular stressors in spaceflight. The cultures will be maintained in GTSF-2 media, a serum-free media that optimizes epithelial cell growth in suspension. Once the organoid is fully validated for viability, epithelial marker expression, and architectural integrity, the lab will begin infecting them with P. aeruginosa at a defined multiplicity of infection. In addition, control experiments will be run under standard gravity. While this model currently uses A549 cells, future experiments should be performed using primary lung epithelial cells to more accurately represent a native lung response.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
Development of a 3D Lung Epithelial Model to Study Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection Under Simulated Microgravity
The human immune system is complex and highly responsive to physiological stress, especially when subjected to spaceflight conditions. Spaceflight conditions have shown to increase the risk of opportunistic infections such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This clinically relevant, gram-negative pathogen has been found in space flight-related environments such as on the International Space Station. Individuals in spaceflight environments are prone to experiencing immune dysfunction and altered cytokine profiles and could be at a greater risk for developing an opportunistic infection such as P. aeruginosa during the duration in spaceflight. P. aeruginosa poses a threat to individuals both on Earth and in spaceflight because it is antimicrobial resistant. Interactions between P. aeruginosa and lung tissue under spaceflight stress need to be better understood so countermeasures can be put in place in an environment with limited access to treatment options and emergency healthcare. To investigate this, the Space Lab at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University proposes the development of a three-dimensional (3D) lung organoid model using A549 cells (human lung epithelial cells derived from an adenocarcinoma) cultured on microcarrier beads in Slow Turning Lateral Vessel (STLV) bioreactors to maintain a low shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) environment, simulating one of the key cellular stressors in spaceflight. The cultures will be maintained in GTSF-2 media, a serum-free media that optimizes epithelial cell growth in suspension. Once the organoid is fully validated for viability, epithelial marker expression, and architectural integrity, the lab will begin infecting them with P. aeruginosa at a defined multiplicity of infection. In addition, control experiments will be run under standard gravity. While this model currently uses A549 cells, future experiments should be performed using primary lung epithelial cells to more accurately represent a native lung response.