Rotary Cell Culture System

The resulting device enables the growth of tissue, cancer tumors and virus cultures outside the body, both in space and on Earth.

Additionally, the RCCS has no internal moving parts, therefore minimizing any forces that might damage the delicate cell cultures.

There are similar possibilities for AIDS research: the RCCS can produce human HIV host cells that can be infected and studied.

Today, leading research facilities across the United States are employing the RCCS to study cancer, cystic fibrosis and infectious diseases such as the avian flu, Ebola virus and monkey pox.

The chamber rotates around a horizontal axis, allowing the cells to develop in an environment similar to the free-fall of microgravity.

The NASA bioreactor provides a low turbulence environment, promoting the formation of large, three-dimensional cell clusters. Credit: NASA
Cell constructs grown in a rotating bioreactor on Earth (left) eventually become too large to stay suspended in the nutrient media. In the microgravity of orbit, the cells stay suspended. Credit: NASA